Date of Award
Spring 2022
Degree Type
Thesis
Department
Political Science
Director of Thesis
Mathieu Deflem
First Reader
Jonathan Edwards
Second Reader
Jonathan Edwards
Abstract
This paper traces the history of the extremist wing of the anti-abortion movement, both the violent and non-violent branches, from its origins in the 1970s. The movement began with local, leftwing Catholic groups conducting “sit-ins,” then turned into a massive crusade of fundamentalist conservatives under Randall Terry’s group Operation Rescue. I also examine the movement’s descent into violence in the 1980s and 1990s and the federal government’s response to this threat, namely the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act in 1994, and how it has shaped both the pacifist and violent branches of the movement in the years since. The history of this movement carries important lessons about civil disobedience and violence, the societal and governmental response to these actions, and the intersection of religion and politics in America.
First Page
1
Last Page
73
Recommended Citation
Masucci, Stella, "From Pacifism to Pipe Bombs: A History of the Extremist Anti-Abortion Movement in the United States" (2022). Senior Theses. 492.
https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/senior_theses/492
Rights
© 2022, Stella Masucci