The Abortion Agenda in Portugal Considering the Recent Backlash under Liberal and Conservative Political Forces∗

Abstract

This paper analyses the political agenda behind the decriminalization of abortion in Portugal, its genealogy, agents, critical aspects and results. It highlights the role of women’s movements, the National Agency for Equality, and the role of political parties. Analyzing the 2015 backlash it highlights the risks to a feminist and women rights agenda brought by shifts to right-wing political forces. These risks seem to be particularly severe in a context of financial and societal crises, and under an austerity regime, in which economistic and conservative discourses are widely accepted.