Dollars for Life: The Anti-Abortion Movement and the Fall of the Republican Establishment

Legal historian Ziegler (Abortion and the Law in America) offers a lucid and meticulous account of how anti-abortion activists and conservative Christians have transformed the Republican Party in the 50 years since Roe v. Wade. She traces the evolution of anti-abortion tactics from pressing for the recognition of fetal rights under the 14th Amendment in the 1960s and ’70s, to whittling away at Roe’s protections through the passage of state laws and pressuring Republican candidates to make stronger anti-abortion commitments. Ziegler also shows how “right to life” organizations got involved in overturning campaign finance regulations, contending that their efforts against soft money limits, donation privacy restrictions, and blocks to issue advocacy helped prioritize their agenda and rewrite the American political landscape. The career trajectory of conservative lawyer James Bopp—who went from lead attorney for the National Right to Life Committee, to vice chairman of the Republican National Committee, to filing lawsuits seeking to overturn the 2020 election—buttresses Ziegler’s arguments about how the anti-abortion movement has helped foster political partisanship while undermining faith in the country’s democratic institutions. Full of insightful analysis and revelatory details about the tactics and goals of anti-abortion activists, this is a timely and expert guide to one of today’s most hot-button political issues. (July)