Susanna Mancini
Department of Legal Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, I
Keywords:
Abortion, Equality , Agency , Patriachy
Abstract
This article explores the origins and the development of women-protective anti-abortion arguments in a globalized world. Unlike fetus-base prolife arguments, women protective ones focus on gender stereotypes and on the theory of gender complementarity. The article traces the influence of US conservative groups in spreading such arguments beyond the US borders, so that in today’s globalized world, women-protective arguments have become central in abortion and contraception related legislation and litigation in the US, Europe and Russia. The article points to the dangers of the women-protective anti-abortion strategy, which aims at disempowering women, by denying them agency and control over reproduction, resulting in a direct challenge to gender equality.
