Moral policies such as abortion are often up to the conscience of individual legislators who can vote against the party line without sanctions. While free votes might jeopardize reform, party leaders can enforce discipline to achieve policy objectives. This article develops a framework to explain legislative behavior on abortion. It highlights how individual-level religiosity and party characteristics—voter linkage mechanisms and elite-base ties—shape votes on proposed bills. Analyzing three attempts to decriminalize abortion in left-governed Uruguay, this article highlights party variables beyond ideology and sheds more light on the puzzle of Latin America’s slow progress on reproductive rights.