The Impact of Language on US Abortion Legislation

Pittelli, Catherine

Student Work

The Impact of Language on US Abortion Legislation

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The overturning of the landmark Supreme Court case, Roe v. Wade (1973) in the summer of 2022 eliminated the nearly fifty-year constitutional right to an abortion, allowing for countless, new abortion restrictions. In this paper, I seek to determine how the overturning of Roe impacted the language drafters use in federally-proposed, anti-abortion legislation. This study provides an overview of the gender and power constructions that shape the contemporary abortion debate and on feminist legal theory. By using this theoretical framework in conjunction with an understanding of those constructions, I analyze the language and impacts of five bills proposed since the decision. Ultimately, the study revealed that post-Roe legislation maintains many of the goals and strategies of Roe-era restrictions and reinforces the system of paternalism and the conflation of womanhood and motherhood that persists throughout American history. While not signifying a substantial rhetorical shift, this continuation of language is impactful as it provides a framework for the future of abortion restrictions.

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

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