Abortion Politics, Mass Media, and Social Movements in America

This book re-imagines how activists use a variety of mediums, sometimes simultaneously, to agitate for - and against - legal abortion.

Deana A. Rohlinger (Author)

9781107069237, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 22 December 2014

182 pages, 11 b/w illus. 8 tables
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.1 cm, 0.43 kg

'A groundbreaking account of how movements for and against abortion have shaped the way the media covers them. Abortion Politics, Mass Media, and Social Movements in America takes us behind the scenes as abortion activists develop media strategies that sometimes strengthen - and sometimes doom - their efforts. Essential reading for anyone interested in the influence of mass media on modern America politics.' Kathleen Blee, University of Pittsburgh

Weaving together analyses of archival material, news coverage, and interviews conducted with journalists from mainstream and partisan outlets as well as with activists across the political spectrum, Deana A. Rohlinger re-imagines how activists use a variety of mediums, sometimes simultaneously, to agitate for - and against - legal abortion. Rohlinger's in-depth portraits of four groups - the National Right to Life Committee, Planned Parenthood, the National Organization for Women, and Concerned Women for America - illuminates when groups use media and why they might choose to avoid media attention altogether. Rohlinger expertly reveals why some activist groups are more desperate than others to attract media attention and sheds light on what this means for policy making and legal abortion in the twenty-first century.

Introduction: dilemmas, choices, and consequences
1. Constraints of strategic choice
2. The mass media field
3. Abortion, social movements, and mass media
4. Media, politics, and the National Right to Life Committee
5. Reputation, political change, and the National Organization for Women
6. Branding and the success of Planned Parenthood
7. Concerned Women for America and sympathetic media
8. Conclusion
Afterword: abortion politics in the twenty-first century.

Subject Areas: Political activism [JPW], Political ideologies [JPF], Politics & government [JP], Sociology [JHB], Ethical issues: abortion & birth control [JFMA], Feminism & feminist theory [JFFK], Media studies [JFD]