Shaping Abortion Discourse: Democracy and the Public Sphere in Germany and the United StatesUsing controversy over abortion as a lens through which to compare the political process and role of the media in these two very different democracies, this book examines the contest over meaning that is being waged by social movements, political parties, churches and other social actors. Abortion is a critical battleground for debates over social values in Germany and the U.S., but the constitutional premises on which arguments rest differ, as do the strategies that movements and parties adopt and the opportunities for influence that are open to them. |
Contents
Two Related Stories | 3 |
Historical Context | 24 |
Methods | 45 |
The Discursive Opportunity Structure | 61 |
Standing | 86 |
Framing | 105 |
Representing Womens Claims | 131 |
Representing Religious Claims | 154 |
Normative Criteria for the Public Sphere | 205 |
Measuring the Quality of Discourse | 232 |
Metatalk | 255 |
Lessons for Democracy and the Public Sphere | 286 |
Methodological Appendix | 305 |
325 | |
339 | |
Representing the Tradition of the Left | 179 |
Common terms and phrases
abor abortion debate abortion discourse abortion in Germany abortion issue abortion law abortion rights advocates Anti anti-abortion anti-abortion movement arena arguments autonomy Bundestag Catholic Church Chapter Christian Right citizens civil society actors claims closure cluster coalition compared consensus contest countries coverage criteria cultural debate deliberative democracy democratic dialogue discursive opportunity structure dominant emphasized feminist feminist groups Fetal Life frame fetus framelet gender German discourse Germany grassroots Habermas individual Interview legal abortion legislative less major mass media media discourse metatalk mobilization moral movement organizations Neutral newspapers normative Operation Rescue opportunity structure participation participatory liberal party speakers period players political parties position pregnancy pro-life prominence protection public discourse public sphere rebuttal reform representative liberal restrictions role self-determination social justice social movements specific spokespersons standing theory tion tradition U.S. discourse unborn United utterances voice women women's movement women's rights
Popular passages
Page i - Protest (Wadsworth, 2d ed., 1990) among other books and articles on political discourse, the mass media and social movements. He is a past president of the American Sociological Association.