On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision establishing women’s right to choose to have an abortion.

Since the launch of Politics & Gender in 2005, the journal has published numerous articles on abortion debates and policy developments in the United States and around the world.

This virtual special issue brings these articles together to provide important insights and context to this decision – as well as to signal what it means for gender equality more widely in the U.S. and abroad.

Focusing on the American case, Skinner and Rolfes-Haase and Swers unpack the politics behind abortion debates and policy. Smith, Kreitzer, Kane, and Sanders and Price consider how these developments link up with broader questions of reproductive justice. Angevine explores how anti-abortion politics shapes American foreign policy. Jelen and Wilcox map changes in public attitudes to abortion in the U.S. and Poland over time.

Looking beyond the U.S., Dudova analyzes the historical case of Czechoslovakia and the role of the state in advancing access to abortion. Viterna examines how efforts to ‘deradicalize’ the left in El Salvador led to some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world. Avanza highlights diversity among pro-life women activists in Italy, while Unal maps how feminists have collaborated on the abortion issue in Turkey across the traditional Islamic-secular divide.

Addressing efforts to protect and expand women’s reproductive rights Asal, Brown, and Figueroa and Hunt and Gruszczynski debate the role of the UN’s CEDAW Convention in contributing to the liberalization of abortion laws around the world. Budde and Heichel track how advances in women’s status over time led to less restrictive national abortion regulations across Europe. Gwiazda highlights the important role played by feminist activists in resisting a total abortion ban in Poland. Daby and Moseley share insights from Argentina on how feminist activists successfully reframed the abortion issue in a region that had long been opposed to abortion rights.

Please enjoy free access to all articles below until the end of August 2022.

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