The Politics of Moral Sin: Abortion and Divorce in Spain, Chile and ArgentinaTaylor & Francis, 2006 - 245 pages This book analyzes the problems that arise when women's rights conflict with the views of conservative organized religion. Specifically, it addresses the legalization - or lack thereof - of divorce and abortion in three recently democratized Catholic countries: Spain, Chile, and Argentina. Offering a vital and timely contribution to political debates on democratic consolidation, social policy, gender and politics as well as religion and politics. It challenges many of the accepted assumptions and conclusions in these fields, arguing that to understand the political dynamics and policy trajectories on these issues we must first analyze the distribution of both economic and political power. Merike Blofield moves the debate away from a (unitary) focus on values and public opinion to an analysis of how economic, social and political structures give certain actors more power than others. The topics covered should appeal to a broad readership interested in the difficulties of democratic consolidation in Latin America, and the obstacle to social policy reform in a region with such high levels of inequality. The analysis presented in The Politics of Moral Sin also deepens our understanding of why and how European countries have been so successful in limiting the indulgence of organized religion and in promoting women's rights. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Chapter 1 Moral Politics in a Global Era | 17 |
Chapter 2 Economic Resources and Political Access on a Domestic Level | 33 |
Chapter 3 Social Equality and Social Reform in Spain | 63 |
Chapter 4 Moral Fundamentalism in Chile | 95 |
Chapter 5 The Interaction of Inequality and Delegative Democracy in Argentina | 121 |
Chapter 6 Abortion Reform across Catholic Western Europe and Latin America | 157 |
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Common terms and phrases
abor abortion and divorce abortion laws abortion reform anti-abortion Argentina and Chile bill Buenos Aires campaign financing Carlos Menem Catholic Church Catholic countries Center Center-left Chile and Argentina Chilean Christian Democratic Church hierarchy civil society Clarín coalition conservative context debate democracy divorce and abortion divorce law divorce reform domestic economic elites editors El País electoral et.al feminist mobilization feminist movement FREPASO groups Htun impact income inequality influence institutional Interview issues Italy John Paul Latin America Latin American countries Left parties legal abortion legal divorce Legionaries Legionaries of Christ legislative liberal Menem middle classes military regime moral Mujer Opus Opus Dei organizations País percent political agenda political parties politicians poor women Portugal President pro-choice pro-life PSOE public opinion reformist Ruiz Soto Santiago sector Senate social Socialist socio-economic solidarity Spain Spanish stance support base Tarancón three countries tion tive transition Uruguay Valparaíso vote World Values Survey