Abortion Access and Public Opinion in Argentina

• In Event: Women-ing Movements: Understanding Gendered Mobilisation in Social Movements

Abstract

Across the Americas and around the world, feminist movements dubbed the “green wave” demand legal abortion. But behind the scenes, even years prior to these mass movements, activists have been working to expand access to abortion via informal, extralegal means. What is the role of abortion access in bringing about movements and policy reform? I focus on the innovative direct action tactics of Argentine feminists who supported access to misoprostol, or medication abortion, and examine how public opinion evolved in Argentina as abortion access increased in the years leading up to its legalization in 2020. Using multiple data sources, I examine how the uptick in abortion rates affected public opinion at the province level. I complement this quantitative analysis with semi-structured interviews of activists, who describe how increasing the visibility and safety of abortion affected public narratives and decreased stigma. This project highlights an innovative tactic for change-- direct action-- and shows how interventions in informal, non-institutional spaces can lead to social change and public opinion shifts even in conservative environments, ultimately influencing formal policy outcomes in the long run.

Author

• Emily Brooke Jackson, Cornell University