Ideological differences in media representations of abortion in Croatia

The regression of women's reproductive rights is a part of the broader re-traditionalization of Croatian society that we have witnessed since the beginning of the 1990s in the context of the breakup of Yugoslavia and the emergence of Croatia as an independent state. The media play an important role in the construction and reproduction of these dominant conservative social values. The aim of the research was to analyze media representations of abortion in the Croatian media of different ideological orientations. Quantitative and qualitative content analysis of Croatian newspapers and internet portals was applied. The analysis shows that the media consistently report on abortion, in accordance with their ideological orientation: conservative media has a negative orientation, while liberal and left-wing media have a positive orientation towards abortion rights. At the aggregate level, the media predominantly supports abortion rights (56.9%), however, it is evident that the media are more inclined to represent actors who are opponents of abortion rights (in an advocative or critical manner), which enhances their visibility. Abortion is incorporated into several types of discourses: political, legal, religious and scientific, but political discourse is dominating.