From life event to governance: political struggles over abortion regulation

Mariana Prandini Assis

Chapter 22 in Handbook on Gender in World Politics, 2026, pp 138-144 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter examines the evolving regulation of abortion worldwide through the interconnected frameworks of crime, rights, and governance. Historically, abortion was largely managed within community and family structures, but in the 19th century it became widely criminalized, in part through efforts by the medical profession to consolidate its authority. The 20th century marked a shift toward liberalization and the gradual recognition of abortion as a legal right, yet the crime-rights binary remained central to regulatory debates. In the 21st century, however, abortion governance has emerged as a more encompassing framework for understanding how multiple actors—including states, international organizations, medical institutions, feminist networks and activists, and anti-gender movements—shape and contest abortion norms within, across, and beyond national borders. This framework highlights the political, economic, and social forces that influence abortion discourses, practices, regulation, and access, moving beyond purely moral-legal debates to foreground the power dynamics and structural inequalities at play. By centering governance, the chapter underscores the need for feminist critical scholarship to interrogate the intersections of gender, class, race/ethnicity, and sexuality in abortion regulation as part of broader struggles for reproductive autonomy and justice.

Keywords: Abortion; Criminalization; Legalization; Governance; Power Dynamics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781803923765
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