Abortion and the Politics of Motherhood, 1984

The purpose of this study was to explore factors influencing the attitudes of pro-choice and anti-abortion activists and to weigh individual commitments to the abortion debate. The study examines the values and moral beliefs of activists on both sides of the abortion issue. Both pro-choice and anti-abortion activists were interviewed, including men and women between the ages of 19 and 73. The respondents were asked open-ended questions on the following topics: the development of their political thinking; what factors (including upbringing, religious affiliation, moral beliefs) contributed to their choice to support either the pro-choice or anti-abortion movement; their history of activism in the movement and involvement in other political movements; their careers and family life; social tensions related to their activism; factors which motivate them to continue their activism; and predictions for the future of the movement and the importance of the abortion debate in the political future. Participants also completed background information sheets which consisted of questions on family and marital history, education, occupation, and political and religious affiliation. The Murray Archive holds additional analogue materials for this study [127 of the 212 original transcripts from the open-ended interviews (including 53 with pro-choice activists and 74 with anti-abortion activists) and 144 background information sheets; audiotapes for some of the interviews may be obtained with special permission]. If you would like to access this material, please apply to use the data. Audio Data Availability Note: This study contains audio data that have been digitized. There are 39 audio files available.