Pushed into the Political Mainstream? : A study of the use and influence of anti-abortion policy frames in the European Parliament

Sammanfattning: This thesis explores the use and influence of anti-abortion policy frames during the Van Lancker (2002), Estrela (2013), and Matić (2021) debates in the European Parliament (EP). The purpose is to reveal whether and how anti-abortion frames have influenced the work of the EP and its Members of Parliament (MEP) and to analyze how the opposition to abortion has evolved from 2002-2021. This thesis utilizes the dynamic frame analysis methodology to analyze the discursive content and influence of anti-abortion policy frames on the debates. The results show that anti-abortion policy frames have been used in all three debates and that one reached the fourth level of influence by being used in the EP’s non-legislative resolution on abortion. The findings further indicate that conservative MEPs have adapted some of the frames to the context of the EP and that these were among the most successful or influential frames. While more research is needed to establish the rationale behind the use of these specific frames, this thesis contributes to the limited body of research on abortion politics at the European supranational level by concluding that ideas promoted and held by the anti-abortion movement have been used by democratically elected Members of the European Parliament and in the European Union’s stronghold for gender equality and democracy.