Roman Catholicism, Secularization and the Recovery of Traditional Communal Values: The 1998 and 2007 Referenda on Abortion in Portugal.

In the 34 years since the 25 April 1974 Carnation Revolution, there have been sporadic efforts by progressive forces to legalize abortion in Portugal. This activity has intensified over the past nine years, culminating with two national referenda on the subject. This article investigates the Roman Catholic Church's contemporary role in Portuguese society. That is, would the Church maintain its traditional influential role over public policy formation in a secularizing Portugal, especially related to its moral teaching? Additionally, the authors identify another dimension of the national debate over abortion: the pro-choice side's successful harmonization of its rhetoric to certain traditional communal values found in Portuguese society - namely compassion, solidarity and support - and, in so doing, forged a recovery of those values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]