The right to abortion has not yet been explicitly enacted in any international human rights legal document. International legal norms tend to recognise gradually prevention of abortion as a human rights violation, but abortion laws remain regulated by the individual states. Considering the theory of social constructivism that understands (international) legal norms as a dynamic category, this thesis focuses on the role of social movements in the process of formation, development, and expansion of the (international) legal norms, particularly on the right to abortion. The thesis explores how contemporary feminist social movements as a part of transnational advocacy networks contribute to the development and implementation of the right to abortion. As the other new social movements that arose in the second half of the 20th century, feminist movements strive to change societal relations. When advocating for the right to abortion, the attention has been focused primarily on understanding women beyond their reproductive function which values the life of the foetus more than the well-being of the pregnant women. The case study analysis of a social movement for the implementation of the right to abortion has shown that the Argentinian feminist movement – in accordance with certain international institutions – understands prevention of abortion as a human rights violation and/or discriminatory treatment. Not only has the feminist movement framed the right to have an abortion as a public health issue and a question of social and economic justice, but it also established it as a right of women to make decisions about their lives.
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