Decoding Abortion Rhetoric: Communicating Social Change

264 Pages·1990·1.97 MB·English

by  Celeste Michelle Condit

Celeste Michelle Condit
DECODING
ABORTION RHETORIC
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Decoding
Abortion Rhetoric
The Communication
of Social Change
Celeste M. Condit
Abortion: reproductive control or mur-
der? Guaranteed by a right to choice or
an unthinkable act that must never be-
come acceptable?
The character of the arguments over
abortion has changedin the past quarter-
century, as has the average American's
understanding of what abortion is and
whether it is "right" or "wrong." As the
intensity of the debate has escalated, the
discourse has gone beyond logical to
impassioned words, and it now takes in
acts of civil disobedience and violence,
all in the name of persuading others of
the validity of a specific view.
In this balanced study, Celeste Condit
analyzes the ways in which public dis-
course has brought about changes in
general attitudes toward abortion. The
result is a close look at how the various
arguments of the opposing sides have
helped shape the development of public
policy and private practice.
"Professor Condit's book is a model of
scholarly research and critical insight.
Her temperate, thorough discussion of
both sides of the abortion controversy,
her careful tracing of the historical de-
velopment of issues and positions to-
gether with her thoughtful treatment of
the arguments and their implications
make this 'must' reading for anyone con-
cerned about this topic. Her rhetorical
analysismakesanimportantcontribution
'h

Decoding Abortion Rhetoric

DECODING
ABORTION RHETORIC
Communicating Social Change
CELESTE MICHELLE CONDIT
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS PRESS
Urbana and Chicago
—
© 1990by the Board ofTrustees ofthe University ofIllinois
Manufactured in the United States ofAmerica
C 5 4 3 2 1
This book is printedon acid-freepaper.
Excerpts from Pregnant byMistake: The Stories ofSeventeen Women by
Katrina Maxtone-Graham. Copyright © 1973, 1989by Katrina Maxtone-Graham.
Originally published by Liveright Publishing Corporation. Reprinted
1989, with indexand new introduction, by Remi Books, New York. All
rights reserved. Reprinted bv permission oftheauthor.
Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Condit, Celeste Michelle, 1956-
Decodingabortion rhetoric : communicatingsocialchange/Celeste
Michelle Condit.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-252-01647-5 (alk. paper)
—
1. Abortion Moral and ethical aspects.—2. Pro-choice movement
United States. 3. Pro-life movement United States. I. Title.
363.4'6—dc20 89-33469
CIP
my
for sister,
Deirdre Moira Condit,
at whose expense I have gained much:
a little interest on the loan ofyour life