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

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. A Brief History Of The National Movement To End Abortion -- A Prolific Disaster : The Sandra Day O'connor Nomination -- A Movement In Disarray : The Hatch/helms Fight -- Voodoo Demographics : The Right-to-life Movement Confronts The Population Establishment -- Cultivating Reagan's Abortion Legacy : His Last Years In Office -- The Lessons Of The Reagan Years. Prudence Flowers. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Front Matter ....Pages i-xviii Introduction (Prudence Flowers)....Pages 1-13 A Brief History of the National Movement to End Abortion (Prudence Flowers)....Pages 15-39 “A Prolife Disaster”: The Sandra Day O’Connor Nomination (Prudence Flowers)....Pages 41-61 “A Movement in Disarray”: The Hatch/Helms Fight (Prudence Flowers)....Pages 63-87 “Voodoo Demographics”: The Right-to-Life Movement Confronts the Population Establishment (Prudence Flowers)....Pages 89-111 Cultivating Reagan’s Abortion Legacy: His Last Years in Office (Prudence Flowers)....Pages 113-136 The Lessons of the Reagan Years (Prudence Flowers)....Pages 137-152 Back Matter ....Pages 153-160