The Influence and Role of Female Parliament Member in the Passing of Gender-Sensitive Policies: Therapeutic Termination of Pregnancy (TTOP) Draft Bill in Madagascar

Political Science

Therapeutic Termination of Pregnancy (TToP) is limited by strict laws in many countries. It can only be executed to save the mother's life when the pregnancy threatens her physical and mental health. This issue of women's reproductive rights highlights the inequalities resulting from the private-public dichotomy at the root of gender inequalities, whether in the political, social, or economic domains. This qualitative literature research study focuses on the case of the therapeutic abortion draft bill initiated by a female member of Parliament and countered by another female member of Parliament in Madagascar, a country with one of the most restrictive laws on abortion, which also lacks a concrete policy to achieve gender equality goals. The qualitative method used in this study is secondary data and documentation derived from previous research, and the results indicate that the role of female parliament members in passing gender-sensitive bills as studied by previous research (1) only considered women as a monolithic group and (2) the theory of gender representation (politics of presence) is hindered by patriarchal social-cultural norms in terms of the gender-sensitive bill.

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