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Kabasakal Badamchi, Devrim (2014) 'Abortion and Public Reason in Turkey: A Normative Evaluation of the Discourses of AKP and CHP.' Turkish Studies, 15 (1). pp. 45-61.

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Abstract

During May and June 2012, the question of abortion was hotly debated in Turkish public forums. This paper analyzes the main characteristics of this abortion debate using John Rawls's conception of public reason as a normative framework. In doing so, speeches and declarations on abortion made by legislators are critically evaluated. The arguments in the debate are examined with a view to interpret how the issue should be discussed as far as the demands of public reason are concerned. From a Rawlsian framework, it is observed that the pro-ban position (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi) is far from contributing to a reasonable balance of political values on abortion whereas the contra-ban position (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi) satisfies the demands of public reason. Moreover, it is argued that, the latest proposed legislation on abortion cannot be viewed as an outcome of a reasonable balance of political values but is rather an outcome of pragmatic compromise.

Item Type: Journal Article
SOAS Departments & Centres: Departments and Subunits > Department of Politics & International Studies
Departments and Subunits > Department of Anthropology & Sociology
Departments and Subunits > Interdisciplinary Studies
School Research Centres
SOAS Open Access Journals
ISSN: 14683849
DOI (Digital Object Identifier): https://doi.org/10.1080/14683849.2014.890413
Date Deposited: 13 Sep 2019 08:15
URI: https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/id/eprint/31568

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