Policies on sexual and reproductive health in Spain: Counter-movements and conflicting policy frames

Abstract

Recent studies accurately capture how the economic crisis has operated as a window of opportunity for questioning gender equality policies. This article analyses policies on sexual and reproductive health in Spain to explore the nature and scope of the setbacks affecting this policy field. Thanks to a multilevel approach encompassing the main regional and national actions, the study identifies the emergence of a new policy frame revolving around the ‘protection of life’. Moreover, it analyses the role of those actors pushing for this policy change, and explores the implications at the implementation stage through a thorough study of the Galician case. In so doing, it contributes to shed light on the presence of content-related transformations in the most recent policies, as well as on the emergence of new actors within the policy-subsystem of gender equality policies.