History of Abortion in Italy

From Fascism to Present

Alessandra Gissi, Paola Stelliferi

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2026
• Print ISBN:
  9781041170594
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781040759851
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: 20th Century History
• Index: History

As a translation from L'aborto. Una storia, through the tools of political, social and cultural history, this volume traces the history of abortion practices in Italy through the 20th and 21st centuries.

In 1978 the Italian Parliament approved Law 194, decriminalising abortion practices with precise rules. The law marked a deep break with the past, repealing Title X of the fascist-era penal code. This volume talks about the past, going far beyond the mere history of the law, starting from an innovative periodisation that, while focusing on post-WWII Italy (to the present), highlights continuities and ruptures within the liberal age and particularly within the fascist regime.

History of Abortion in Italy: From Fascism to Present will be of appeal to historians of political history; historians of European fascisms; historians of criminology interested in comparative history, as well as undergraduate and postgraduate students, and to readers interested in understanding abortion rights and reproductive health in a global dimension.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-Title Page
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• 1 Voluntary abortion has a history
• 2 An alleged silence (1946–1957)
• 3 A political issue (1958–1971)
• 4 Against Title X of the penal code (1971–1972)
• 5 A mass crime (1973–1974)
• 6 The right to health: a constitutional matter (1975)
• 7 The law (1976–1978)
• 8 “The debate will not end” (1978–2003)
• 9 Principles, aims and implementation (2004–2022)
• Index