About the Importance of an Intersectional Perspective on Reproductive Rights, Self-Determination, and Emotions

This paper aims at contributing to the discussion on the growing importance of emotions in policies by looking more specifically at one of the core values of liberal democracies: self-determination. The right to self-determination can be considered one of the most significant cultural values of liberal democracies. Inscribed in legislation as the basis of collective action, the right to self-determination also serves as a central compass for policy decisions in the field of reproductive health and justice, e. g. abortion rights. Meanwhile, as seen in recent developments related to the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the United States, issues of reproductive justice have hardly lost any of their poignancy. The fundamental human right to reproductive integrity and self-determination as formulated by the UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing remains a perennial issue in socio-political debates. The paper looks in detail at the situation in Austria, where the state deliberately stigmatizes and criminalizes abortion. Unlike Canada, where the Supreme Court decriminalized abortion in 1988, Austria still regulates abortion under §96 of the Criminal Code. It is only under certain conditions and time limits that the state of Austria does not prosecute abortion. Based on the results of an intersectional analysis of relevant data material (websites, policy documents, etc.) and qualitative expert interviews, it becomes evident that questions of reproduction consequently overlap with questions of who is allowed, able, expected, or required to reproduce. In this regard, the paper negotiates controversies surrounding abortion as a crisis of self-determination by focusing on the governance of emotions. It can be shown that emotions inspire and trouble human actions in everyday life, yet in public debates, they also provide a basis to frame ‘acceptable/legitimate’ or ‘unacceptable/illegitimate’ standpoints, practices, and particular choices.