Banca de DEFESA: ANNE KAROLINE RODRIGUES VIEIRA

Uma banca de DEFESA de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : ANNE KAROLINE RODRIGUES VIEIRA
DATE: 19/09/2023
TIME: 14:00
LOCAL: IPOL
TITLE:

TRANSFORMING LIMITS INTO POSSIBILITIES: THE FEMINIST BARRIER TO ANTI-ABORTION PROPOSALS

KEY WORDS:

Abortion; blocking; conservatives; Feminist Antiracist Parliamentary Front; feminist movements.

PAGES: 214
BIG AREA: Ciências Humanas
AREA: Ciência Política
SUMMARY:

The discussion about the right to abortion goes beyond individual freedom, encompassing issues of justice, social equality, and women's autonomy. The criminalization of abortion has unequal impacts, disproportionately affecting women from lower social classes, black women, and those residing in peripheral areas. Such criminalization imposes restrictions and inequalities on women, undermining their citizenship and social standing. Despite the existence of some legal allowances for abortion in Brazil, these measures are limited and fail to fully recognize women as rights holders. During the 56th legislative term – the period analyzed in this study – we observed proposals for restrictions and even elimination of access to abortion in the country, driven by conservative political actors and the Bolsonaro government, which sought to diminish the state's capacity to ensure this service. Even in a challenging context with seemingly closed opportunity structures, feminist movements have resisted and strived to prevent the approval of restrictive abortion proposals. This resistance by feminist movements is the central focus of this research. Therefore, this thesis aims to examine how feminist movements have blocked restrictive abortion proposals, even in a conservative and hostile political context. It simultaneously presents an overview of conservative actions in National Congress regarding the topic. To accomplish this, a collection of abortion-related propositions was gathered through the Information Systems of the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate. The collection spanned from 2003 to December 2022 and encompassed all types of legislative proposals. After careful analysis, propositions directly related to the expansion or restriction of the right to abortion were selected. These data were processed using SPSS software for descriptive statistical analysis. The focus on anti-abortion propositions indicated the parties that propose them, the profile of the lawmakers, and the status of these propositions by the end of the legislative term. Additionally, interviews were conducted with organizations and feminist movements involved in the debate on decriminalization or legalization of abortion, as well as parliamentary advisors and a Ministry of Health technician, totaling 13 interviews. The analysis of the interviews was conducted with the aid of NVIVO software, allowing for the identification of relevant themes and the creation of codes to categorize qualitative data. Various materials, such as reports, brochures, and online publications from feminist organizations, were also investigated. Based on the collected information and the analyses performed, inferences were made regarding the actions of feminist movements in blocking anti-abortion propositions during the study period. The study highlights the adaptation of social movement strategies according to the analyzed political context, seeking influence and support within institutional structures. The research demonstrates how feminists intensified their interaction with the legislature, seeking the support of feminist lawmakers and carrying out blocking actions with their collaboration. I emphasize the emergence of a new parliamentary space for coordination, the Feminist Antiracist Parliamentary Front, indicating fluidity of boundaries between the state and society in this case, with interaction occurring through an expansion in the feminist network and legislative articulation.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Externa à Instituição - GISELA ZAREMBERG - FLACSO-AR
Externa à Instituição - NAARA LÚCIA DE ALBUQUERQUE LUNA - UFRJ
Interna - 1807444 - DANUSA MARQUES
Presidente - 1928664 - DEBORA CRISTINA REZENDE DE ALMEIDA
Interna - 2521737 - REBECCA NEAERA ABERS