1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910826796403321

Autore

Halfmann Drew

Titolo

Doctors and demonstrators : how political institutions shape abortion law in the United States, Britain, and Canada / / Drew Halfmann

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Chicago, : University of Chicago Press, 2011

ISBN

1-283-29761-2

9786613297617

0-226-31344-1

Edizione

[1st ed.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (368 p.)

Disciplina

342.08/4

Soggetti

Abortion - Law and legislation - United States

Abortion - Law and legislation - Great Britain

Abortion - Law and legislation - Canada

Abortion - Political aspects - United States

Abortion - Political aspects - Great Britain

Abortion - Political aspects - Canada

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Abortion reforms of the long 1960s -- The reforms and their roots -- Medical interests and priorities -- After reform -- Abortion services -- The politicization of abortion -- Policy change after reform -- Political institutions and abortion policy -- Appendix 1. Statements on abortion in American party platforms, 1972-2008 -- Appendix 2. U.S. Supreme Court cases on abortion -- Appendix 3. Abortion attitudes in the United States and Britain -- Appendix 4. Abortion funding and provision in the United States, Britain, and Canada, 1970s-2000s -- Appendix 5. Abortion attitudes in the United States, Britain, and Canada, 1975-2004.

Sommario/riassunto

Since Roe v. Wade, abortion has continued to be a divisive political issue in the United States. In contrast, it has remained primarily a medical issue in Britain and Canada despite the countries' shared heritage. Doctors and Demonstrators looks beyond simplistic cultural or religious explanations to find out why abortion politics and policies differ so dramatically in these otherwise similar countries. Drew



Halfmann argues that political institutions are the key. In the United States, federalism, judicial review, and a private health care system contributed to the public definition of abortion as an individual right rather than a medical necessity. Meanwhile, Halfmann explains, the porous structure of American political parties gave pro-choice and pro-life groups the opportunity to move the issue onto the political agenda. A groundbreaking study of the complex legal and political factors behind the evolution of abortion policy, Doctors and Demonstrators will be vital for anyone trying to understand this contentious issue.