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Introduction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2020

Mary Ziegler
Affiliation:
Florida State University
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Summary

The Introduction argues that the terms of the American abortion debate have changed in ways we have mostly missed. When forced to give up on a constitutional amendment banning abortion, pro-lifers sought to control the Supreme Court and reverse Roe. As part of this mission, abortion foes promoted restrictions that would hollow out abortion rights and set up test cases for the Court. But these laws did not obviously advance a right to life since they did not criminalize any abortions. To defend them, abortion foes instead detailed the benefits of specific restrictions – and the costs of abortion itself. Over time, abortion-rights supporters had to identify concrete benefits of abortion, explaining whether legal abortion was good for women and the communities in which they lived. Although some resisted a focus on the costs and benefits of abortion, this shift in the terms of the debated sparked discussions about poverty and abortion, the role of government, the changing American family, the influence of abortion on women’s health, and the nature of scientific uncertainty. And surprisingly, as discussion turned to policy costs and benefits, polarization deepened. Both sides disagreed not only about foundational rights but also about the basic facts.

Type
Chapter
Information
Abortion and the Law in America
Roe v. Wade to the Present
, pp. 1 - 10
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • Introduction
  • Mary Ziegler, Florida State University
  • Book: Abortion and the Law in America
  • Online publication: 28 February 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108653138.001
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  • Introduction
  • Mary Ziegler, Florida State University
  • Book: Abortion and the Law in America
  • Online publication: 28 February 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108653138.001
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Introduction
  • Mary Ziegler, Florida State University
  • Book: Abortion and the Law in America
  • Online publication: 28 February 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108653138.001
Available formats
×