"The Faroe Islands handle this themselves”: The convergence of bodily and national autonomy in abortion rights discussions

Faroese abortion legislation is subject to CEDAW’s (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women) regular reports and has in the last two decades faced criticism for its failure to secure sufficient abortion rights. In this article we analyse international deliberation of the Faroese abortion legislation, where national autonomy as an ideal seemingly outweighs the right to bodily autonomy as a human right. Conducting a concept-oriented critique of how abortion rights are discussed in the convergence of these discourses of autonomy, we emphasise the limitations of arguing for bodily autonomy in relation to abortion rights as a human right. But we also argue that the rhetorical performance of statehood should be scrutinised when it reflects a problematic conception of the right to self-government where national statehood trumps reproductive citizenship. Rather than deliberating the circumstances under which reproductive rights are managed in the Faroe Islands, international attention to the Faroese case becomes an opportunity to underscore that “the Faroe Islands handle this themselves". This article sheds light on both the foundation underpinning a human rights perspective on abortion rights and on the Faroese situation. Úrtak Viðkomandi føroysk viðurskifti vera viðgjørd í frágreiðingunum hjá CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women) um danska kongaríkið og føroyska abortlóggávan hevur sostatt seinastu tvey áratíggjuni fingið ábreiðslu fyri ikki at tryggja abortrættindi í nøktandi mun. Í hesi grein greina vit altjóða viðgerðina av føroysku abortlóggávuni og hvussu tjóðskaparligt sjálvræði sum ideal verður sett hægri enn kropsligt sjálvræði sum menniskjarættindi. Gjøgnum eina hugtakslýsing av hvussu abort verður viðgjørt í hesi samanrenning av sjálvræðisdiskursum, leggja vit dent á hvørjar avmarkingar eru í samband við at grundgeva fyri nær abortrættindi eru menniskjarættindi. Men grundgivið verður eisini fyri hvussu retoriska framførslan av fullveldisstøðu Føroya vísir eina ivingarsama fatan av rættinum til sjálvstýri har tjóðskaparligt sjálvræåi vinnur á reproduktivum medborgaraskapi: heldur enn at viðgera hvussu reproduktiv rættindi verða tryggjað í Føroyum, so verða altjóða ábreiðslur nýttar sum høvi at undirstrika at “Føroyar taka sær av hesum sjálvar”. Sostatt lýsir greinin bæði grundarlagið undir menniskjarættindaatlitum til abort umframt føroysku støðuna.