Paper Short Abstract:

This paper examines feminist-driven artworks challenging abortion in Portugal and Poland (2004–2021). It explores theoretical and historical frameworks, visual strategies to confront abortion stigma, and reflections about art's potential to reconfigure political and social realities, rather than merely mirror existing conditions.

Paper Abstract:

This paper analyses artistic creation informed by feminist debates aimed at challenging abortion stigma, connecting Portugal and Poland. Abortion stigma is a global phenomenon constructed through multiple layers of human interaction and shaped by local intersections of discourse, culture, gender archetypes, beliefs, and transnational institutions. Negative societal representations of abortion—often reinforced through legislation—perpetuate this stigma, discrediting women’s ability to make autonomous reproductive and sexual decisions. In this context, Portugal and Poland are European countries where abortion laws have been profoundly influenced by the Catholic Church, which opposes the practice.

However, their political trajectories differ: in Portugal, abortion upon request was decriminalised up to 10 weeks following a 2007 referendum, while in Poland, successive restrictions since 1990, after decades of decriminalisation under the People’s Republic of Poland, have resulted in near-total prohibition. This climate has mobilised artists and activists to defend the right to free, legal, and safe abortion, using art to express these concerns symbolically and tangibly.

A qualitative content analysis (2004–2021) explores the theoretical and historical frameworks surrounding abortion stigma and examines visual narratives, multidisciplinary formats, and strategies in selected artworks. These include artworks by Polish artists Agata Słowak, Agata Wieczorek, Beata Rojek and Sonia Sobiech, alongside Portuguese artists Carla Cruz, Catarina Carneiro de Sousa, Diana Policarpo and Paula Tavares. This study underscores the role of art in reshaping politics through its intersection with feminist transnational movements and active political participation in both countries.