Abortion, Antifeminism, and the Return of Daniel Ortega

Abstract

In Nicaragua, the convergence of two regional trends—the resurgence of the electoral left and the emergence of significant antifeminist movements—has important implications for our understanding of left-wing parties and gender politics. An alliance between the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (Sandinista Front for National Liberation—FSLN) in the days before the 2006 election banned abortion even to save the woman's life. This can only be explained though the relationship of four long-term processes: (1) the FSLN's becoming a less ideological party, advocating reconciliation rather than revolution, (2) nearly a decade of pact making with the right, (3) the alienation of the feminist movement from the FSLN and divisions within it, and (4) the increasing sophistication of the antifeminist movement. The events of this period demonstrate the importance of examining gender politics in terms of the dynamic and sometimes unpredictable relationship between state, party, and civil society.

Analysing Failure, Understanding Success: A Research Strategy for Explaining Gender Equality Policy Adoption

“…Kampwirth 2008;Avdeyeva 2009;Engeli 2009;McBride et al 2010;Reuterswa¨ rd et al 2011). Rather, what we suggest is simply that the majority of research projects within the field are not designed with the specific purpose of accounting for the failure to adopt a specific gender equality policy.…”

Love for the Land: Remittances and Care in a Nicaraguan Transnational Community

“…This disillusionment reflects dissatisfaction with the dominant neoliberal development framework as well as with the renewal of revolutionary rhetoric under Sandinista president Daniel Ortega. Ortega's presidency relies heavily on revolutionary discourses and images of solidarity, popular participation, and equality, but his administration has assiduously courted big business and implemented vertical, authoritarian power structures (Kampwirth 2008). This transformed revolutionary spirit has done little to change many people's day-to-day lives, which are marked by poverty.…”

Transnational Governance, Local Politics, and Gender Violence Law in Nicaragua

“…To appeal to the former, he continued to utilize a "reconciliation" and "family values" message (Jubb 2014), including opposition to abortion, which has been outlawed in Nicaragua since 2006 (Kampwirth 2008). To appease the latter, he attempted to maintain a stable business climate and encouraged foreign investment in high-profile projects such as a controversial interoceanic canal whose outcome is still uncertain (Fendt 2015).…”