After Roe: The Lost History of the Abortion Debate The Lost History of the Abortion Debate

In the decade after the 1973 Supreme Court decision on abortion, advocates on both sides sought common ground. But as pro-abortion and anti-abortion positions hardened over time into pro-choice and pro-life, the myth was born that __Roe v. Wade__ was a ruling on a woman’s right to choose. Mary Ziegler’s account offers a corrective. Forty Years After The U.s. Supreme Court Handed Down Its Decision Legalizing Abortion, Roe V. Wade Continues To Make Headlines. After Roe: The Lost History Of The Abortion Debate Cuts Through The Myths And Misunderstandings To Present A Clear-eyed Account Of Cultural And Political Responses To The Landmark 1973 Ruling In The Decade That Followed. The Grassroots Activists Who Shaped The Discussion After Roe, Mary Ziegler Shows, Were Far More Fluid And Diverse Than The Partisans Dominating The Debate Today. In The Early Years After The Decision, Advocates On Either Side Of The Abortion Battle Sought Common Ground On Issues From Pregnancy Discrimination To Fetal Research. Drawing On Archives And More Than 100 Interviews With Key Participants, Ziegler's Revelations Complicate The View That Abortion Rights Proponents Were Insensitive To Larger Questions Of Racial And Class Injustice, And Expose As Caricature The Idea That Abortion Opponents Were Inherently Antifeminist. But Over Time, Pro-abortion And Anti-abortion Positions Hardened Into Pro-choice And Pro-life Categories In Response To Political Pressures And Compromises. This Increasingly Contentious Back-and-forth Produced The Interpretation Now Taken For Granted--that Roe Was Primarily A Ruling On A Woman's Right To Choose. Peering Beneath The Surface Of Social-movement Struggles In The 1970s, After Roe Reveals How Actors On The Left And The Right Have Today Made Roe A Symbol For A Spectrum Of Fervently Held Political Beliefs. -- Publisher's Description The Pro-life Movement After Roe. Judicial Activism And The Pro-life Movement -- The Incrementalist Ascendancy -- The Abortion-rights Movement After Roe. Women's Rights Versus Population Control: Abortion And Racial Politics -- The Rise Of Choice: Single-issue Politics And Privacy Arguments -- The Movement-countermovement Dynamic After Roe. The Popular Reinterpretation Of Roe V. Wade -- Compromise And Polarization. Mary Ziegler. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 241-355) And Index. Forty years after the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision legalizing abortion, Roe v. Wade" continues to make headlines. After Roe: The Lost History of the Abortion Debate" cuts through the myths and misunderstandings to present a clear-eyed account of cultural and political responses to the landmark 1973 ruling in the decade that followed. The grassroots activists who shaped the discussion after Roe," Mary Ziegler shows, "were far more fluid and diverse than the partisans dominating the debate today. In the early years after the decision, advocates on either side of the abortion battle sought common ground on issues from pregnancy discrimination to fetal research. Drawing on archives and more than 100 interviews with key participants, Ziegler s revelations complicate the view that abortion rights proponents were insensitive to larger questions of racial and class injustice, and expose as caricature the idea that abortion opponents were inherently antifeminist. But over time, pro-abortion and anti-abortion positions hardened into pro-choice and pro-life categories in response to political pressures and compromises. This increasingly contentious back-and-forth produced the interpretation now taken for granted that Roe "was primarily a ruling on a woman s right to choose. Peering beneath the surface of social-movement struggles in the 1970s, After Roe" reveals how actors on the left and the right have today made Roe" a symbol for a spectrum of fervently held political beliefs." Contents Preface Abbreviations Timeline Introduction Part I: The Pro-Life Movement after Roe 1. Judicial Activism and the Pro-Life Movement 2. The Incrementalist Ascendancy Part II: The Abortion-Rights Movement after Roe 3. Women’s Rights versus Population Control: Abortion and Racial Politics 4. The Rise of Choice: Single-Issue Politics and Privacy Arguments Part III: The Movement-Countermovement Dynamic after Roe 5. The Popular Reinterpretation of Roe v. Wade 6. Compromise and Polarization Conclusion Notes Acknowledgments Index "In the decade after the 1973 Supreme Court decision on abortion, advocates on both sides sought common ground. But as pro-abortion and anti-abortion positions hardened over time into pro-choice and pro-life, the myth was born that Roe v. Wade was a ruling on a woman's right to choose. Mary Ziegler's account offers a corrective"--Publisher's description

In the decade after the 1973 Supreme Court decision on abortion, advocates on both sides sought common ground. But as pro-abortion and anti-abortion positions hardened over time into pro-choice and pro-life, the myth was born that Roe v. Wade was a ruling on a woman's right to choose. Mary Ziegler's account offers a corrective.