Dynamics of the abortion agenda in the Brazilian Senate from 1988 to October 2020

Abstract

Abortion is a complex philosophical and moral issue treated as a morality policy in the public sphere. This article aims to analyze the dynamics of shaping the abortion political agenda in the Brazilian Senate, based on the punctuated equilibrium theory. Adopting the approach by Baumgartner and Jones (1993), the study explores the attention and image given to abortion between 1988 and October 2020 to understand which factors affect the policy’s agenda-setting. Documentary research and content analysis were used to examine 33 legislative propositions, 295 pronouncements, and six public hearings, classifying the policy image as neutral, pro-choice, or pro-life. The results reveal coexisting images in the arguments and preferences of senators, political parties, and participants in public hearings (both internal and external to the government). There is a trend towards stability in the Senate with a predominance of pro-life positions. However, at the same time that policy image of abortion as a crime were present in focalizing events such as public hearings, new images for framing the issue could be observed and have been discussed, addressing abortion as a public health issue and as a right. In addition, senators and external actors point to the Brazilian Supreme Court as a forum that can push for changes in the abortion legislation, such as in the example of the Claim of Non-compliance with Fundamental Precept 54 (ADPF 54) (STF, 2013) and ADPF 442 (STF, 2017), the latter is still in discussion in the court. Future studies on this agenda’s dynamics should address the discussions under development in the Brazilian Supreme Court.

Keywords:
Abortion; Agenda-setting; Morality policy; Federal Senate