Leiden University Student Repository

Brambilla, Carlotta (2025)

Biopolitics and Reproductive Autonomy: A Comparative Study of Abortion Policies in Poland, Italy, and Finland

Master thesis | Public Administration (MSc)

This thesis uses a comparative approach focused on Poland, Italy and Finland, to examine the impact of divergent state laws on the use of abortion services across different European countries. Authors disagree on the effects on the use of abortion services of the liberalisation and the radicalisation of abortion policies. This thesis aims at providing clarity on this issue to assess carefully the role of the state in shaping abortion services. Therefore, it explores how legal frameworks and socio-economic factors influence access to abortion services. The study employs qualitative content analysis of legal documents and grey literature supplemented by quantitative data on abortion rates. Biopower theory is utilized to analyse the interplay between state policies and reproductive autonomy, highlighting how states regulate and control populations to reinforce their own objectives. The findings reveal significant disparities in abortion access depending on the degree of liberalisation...Show moreThis thesis uses a comparative approach focused on Poland, Italy and Finland, to examine the impact of divergent state laws on the use of abortion services across different European countries. Authors disagree on the effects on the use of abortion services of the liberalisation and the radicalisation of abortion policies. This thesis aims at providing clarity on this issue to assess carefully the role of the state in shaping abortion services. Therefore, it explores how legal frameworks and socio-economic factors influence access to abortion services. The study employs qualitative content analysis of legal documents and grey literature supplemented by quantitative data on abortion rates. Biopower theory is utilized to analyse the interplay between state policies and reproductive autonomy, highlighting how states regulate and control populations to reinforce their own objectives. The findings reveal significant disparities in abortion access depending on the degree of liberalisation and radicalisation of state laws, and societal attitudes.Show less

Author

Brambilla, Carlotta

Faculty

Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs

Specialisation

International and European Governance

Supervisors

Wolff, E.A.

ECTS Credits

20

Language

en