preview

Abortion And The Politics Of Motherhood

Better Essays

In this this political science paper I will go into depth on the book Abortion and the Politics of Motherhood to discuss Kristen Luker’s central argument about why people are prolife and prochoice today. Some argue that the central disagreement between prochoice and prolife activist is when life actually begins. As the argument goes, if the country could agree on when that occurs then the argument over abortion would end. I’m going to discuss Luker’s central argument first then demonstrate my knowledge of Luker’s argument based on the justices’ argument, ideas, and comments. After that I will show how we see her argument play out in the Slate magazine article about the Supreme Court.
Luker’s central argument is that the debate over abortion has become a symbolic issue. This is now becoming a way to divide ourselves based on our social worlds. The idea of certain beliefs and values have been embedded into women’s lives through “their education, incomes, occupations, and the different marital and family choices they have made along the way” (Luker, 214). Each side of activists finds themselves on a different side of the social world “they are financially successful or they are not. They become highly educated or they do not. They become married and have a large family, or they have a small one” (Luker, 214). With each of these steps their views and lives have “undergone either ratification or revision” (Luker, 215). There are two different worlds that prochoice and prolife

Get Access