Abortion Rights in Poland: EU and Oppositional Groups vs Law & Justice and the Socialization of Human Rights

Abstract: This thesis is investigating the situation regarding abortion in Poland since the conservative party Law & Justice came into power. It does so by applying the theory of socialization of human rights, developed by Risse, Ropp & Sikkink (1999). The theory of socialization is a way to uncover the process of a state transgressing from a state of repression to a state of rule-consistent behavior (the rules being the human rights). Here, Law & Justice, the EU and the NGO Federa, working for reproductive rights locally and internationally, was chosen as a case study. The method is a content analysis, where the theory is partly part of the method as it is a model. The topic’s importance within the field of sustainable development is immense, since sustainable development requires human rights and abortion is a human right. In both Poland, the USA and other countries across the world, abortion is being severely restricted, and hence the freedom of women is in jeopardy. The research could have been made more substantial by a polish-speaker, as a conservative, nationalist party like Law & Justice does not translate most of its correspondence or information. Further, using several different organizations, especially from both the ‘new’ and ‘old’ groups of feminists in Poland, could have widened the scope. The research questions are both targeted at uncovering how the EU acts when a country is non-compliant, as Poland is when not following the human rights and hence EU law. They are also uncovering what pressures Poland receive from the EU and Federa, and how far these organizations have come in the process of socialization. The key findings include that Law & Justice have been alternating between different phases in the model, and that the model used does not fully explain cases where states use human rights framing as a way to please its opponents. Further, the EU could have pressured Poland further and earlier, to avoid the situation that has unraveled during the last few years. Another surprising discovery was how unclear and vague the sustainable development goals (SDGs) are regarding abortion rights. These findings contribute to the field by researching a rather recent event, as it is a current topic with developments happening all around the world. The research also contributes by widening the field regarding what type of research can be called sustainable development research. When looking at the human rights and the SDGs, the right to safe abortions is part of both.