Le droit à l’avortement : révélateur et activateur de pratiques parlementaires au Royaume-UniAbortion rights: revealing and activating parliamentary practices in the United Kingdom

The implementation of a strategy that could be described as “erosion”, but also the defence, liberalisation and decriminalisation of abortion rights all play out in the legislative field. How are the UK regulatory and procedural constraints dealt with in this debate? The article first analyses a num...

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Main Author: Alexandrine Guyard-Nedelec
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Presses universitaires de Rennes
Series:Revue LISA
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/lisa/14560
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author Alexandrine Guyard-Nedelec
author_facet Alexandrine Guyard-Nedelec
author_sort Alexandrine Guyard-Nedelec
collection DOAJ
description The implementation of a strategy that could be described as “erosion”, but also the defence, liberalisation and decriminalisation of abortion rights all play out in the legislative field. How are the UK regulatory and procedural constraints dealt with in this debate? The article first analyses a number of amendments relating to abortion rights, highlighting the role of the executive, the discursive framework in which debates take place, etc. Then, it looks at the interplay of scales triggered by this issue. The most striking example is that of the decriminalisation of abortion in Northern Ireland by the Westminster Parliament in the summer of 2019, in the face of the political deadlock preventing any decision at Stormont. In such unprecedented situations, the UK Supreme Court, although not part of parliamentary practices strictly speaking, has a significant role to play, as do the European Convention on Human Rights and the United Nations. A cluster of multiple actors emerges, who interact within a cluster of political considerations. A game of inter-national alliances sets up in which the local Assemblies, Westminster and Downing Street seem to triangulate. The conclusion highlights the growing role of the judiciary and the fundamental rights turn, which may suggest that courts more than parliaments will shape developments in abortion rights in the years to come.
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spelling doaj.art-ee90140bd0bd423a9a902089a1f7ccf32024-02-13T14:35:17ZengPresses universitaires de RennesRevue LISA1762-61532010.4000/lisa.14560Le droit à l’avortement : révélateur et activateur de pratiques parlementaires au Royaume-UniAbortion rights: revealing and activating parliamentary practices in the United KingdomAlexandrine Guyard-NedelecThe implementation of a strategy that could be described as “erosion”, but also the defence, liberalisation and decriminalisation of abortion rights all play out in the legislative field. How are the UK regulatory and procedural constraints dealt with in this debate? The article first analyses a number of amendments relating to abortion rights, highlighting the role of the executive, the discursive framework in which debates take place, etc. Then, it looks at the interplay of scales triggered by this issue. The most striking example is that of the decriminalisation of abortion in Northern Ireland by the Westminster Parliament in the summer of 2019, in the face of the political deadlock preventing any decision at Stormont. In such unprecedented situations, the UK Supreme Court, although not part of parliamentary practices strictly speaking, has a significant role to play, as do the European Convention on Human Rights and the United Nations. A cluster of multiple actors emerges, who interact within a cluster of political considerations. A game of inter-national alliances sets up in which the local Assemblies, Westminster and Downing Street seem to triangulate. The conclusion highlights the growing role of the judiciary and the fundamental rights turn, which may suggest that courts more than parliaments will shape developments in abortion rights in the years to come.https://journals.openedition.org/lisa/14560devolutionparliamentary practiceslegislative procedureabortion rightsUnited-Kingdom
spellingShingle Alexandrine Guyard-Nedelec
Le droit à l’avortement : révélateur et activateur de pratiques parlementaires au Royaume-UniAbortion rights: revealing and activating parliamentary practices in the United Kingdom
Revue LISA
devolution
parliamentary practices
legislative procedure
abortion rights
United-Kingdom
title Le droit à l’avortement : révélateur et activateur de pratiques parlementaires au Royaume-UniAbortion rights: revealing and activating parliamentary practices in the United Kingdom
title_full Le droit à l’avortement : révélateur et activateur de pratiques parlementaires au Royaume-UniAbortion rights: revealing and activating parliamentary practices in the United Kingdom
title_fullStr Le droit à l’avortement : révélateur et activateur de pratiques parlementaires au Royaume-UniAbortion rights: revealing and activating parliamentary practices in the United Kingdom
title_full_unstemmed Le droit à l’avortement : révélateur et activateur de pratiques parlementaires au Royaume-UniAbortion rights: revealing and activating parliamentary practices in the United Kingdom
title_short Le droit à l’avortement : révélateur et activateur de pratiques parlementaires au Royaume-UniAbortion rights: revealing and activating parliamentary practices in the United Kingdom
title_sort le droit a l avortement revelateur et activateur de pratiques parlementaires au royaume uniabortion rights revealing and activating parliamentary practices in the united kingdom
topic devolution
parliamentary practices
legislative procedure
abortion rights
United-Kingdom
url https://journals.openedition.org/lisa/14560
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