The Right-to-Life Movement, the Reagan Administration, and the Politics of Abortion Hardback

by Prudence Flowers

Part of the Palgrave Studies in the History of Social Movements series

Hardback

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Description

This book offers a political, ideological, and social history of the national right-to-life movement in the 1980s under President Ronald Reagan.

It analyzes anti-abortion engagement with the legislative, judicial, and executive branches, and offers what is frequently a narrative of disappointment and factionalism.

The chapters explore pro-life responses to Supreme Court vacancies, attempts to pass a constitutional amendment, and broader legislative and bureaucratic strategies, including successful campaigns against international and domestic family planning programs.

The book suggests that the 1980s transformed the anti-abortion cause, limiting the types of ideas and approaches possible at a national level.

Although the movement later claimed Reagan as a "pro-life hero," while he was President right-to-lifers continuously struggled with the gap between his words and deeds.

They also had a fraught relationship with the broader Republican Party.

This book charts the political education of right-to-lifers, offering insights into social movement activism and conservatism in the late twentieth century.