Right-Wing Populist Parties, Religion and Abortion Policy: Brazil, Chile and Uruguay in Comparative Perspective

Right-wing populism’s electoral success across the globe has generated scholarship examining parties’ electoral strategies, support bases, and gendered forms of representation. But although opposition to gender equality policy and reproductive rights in particular constitutes a hallmark of right-wing populism, few studies focus explicitly on abortion. In Latin America, Jair Bolsonaro, José Antonio Kast and Guido Manini Ríos have emerged as prominent representatives for the region’s rising right-wing populist forces and share a firm position against abortion underpinned by “pro-life” discourses identical to religious teachings. This paper comparatively examines these party leaders’ behavior and strategies vis-á-vis abortion policy in Brazil, Chile and Uruguay. Drawing on qualitative methods, it aims to explain right-wing populist opposition to policy liberalization and analyze parties’ links to organized religion. In so doing, this paper sheds light on the unexplored nexus of right-wing populist parties, gender policy, and religious institutions. Moreover, it carries out a first comparative analysis of the foundations of party politics in relation to gender equality policy. As such, it aims to set an agenda for future studies of right-wing populist politics, religion, and gender policy and shed more light on the right-wing party family in Latin America and beyond.