Rethinking abortion: equal choice, the Constitution, and reproductive politics

254 Pages·1999·1.05 MB·English

by  Mark Graber

RETHINKING ABORTION

RETHINKING ABORTION
EQUAL CHOICE,
THE CONSTITUTION,
AND REPRODUCTIVE POLITICS
Mark A. Graber
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY
Copyright(cid:211) 1996byPrincetonUniversityPress
PublishedbyPrincetonUniversityPress,41WilliamStreet,
Princeton,NewJersey08540
IntheUnitedKingdom:PrincetonUniversityPress,
Chichester,WestSussex
AllRightsReserved.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Graber,MarkA.
Rethinkingabortion:equalchoice,theConstitution,
andreproductivepolitics/MarkA.Graber.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN0-691-01142-7(alk.paper)
1. Abortion—Politicalaspects—UnitedStates.
2. Abortion—Governmentpolicy—UnitedStates.
3. Abortion—UnitedStates—Moralandethicalaspects.
I. Title.
HQ767.5.U5G734 1996
363.4¢6¢0973—dc20 95-25448 CIP
ThisbookhasbeencomposedinGalliard
PrincetonUniversityPressbooksareprinted
onacid-freepaperandmeettheguidelines
forpermanenceanddurabilityoftheCommittee
onProductionGuidelinesforBookLongevity
oftheCouncilonLibraryResources
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabyPrincetonAcademicPress
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
To My Parents: for everything,
and
To Jerry and Liza: for J.B.

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction
SublimeTheories,UglyFacts 3
TheArgumentforEqualChoice 8
ThingstoCome 12
ChapterI
TheClashofAbsolutesRevisited 16
TheClashofAbsolutes 16
AbortionLawinBooks 18
TheLookingGlassWorldofAbortionAdvocacy 20
TheTheoreticalImpasse 37
ChapterII
AbortionLawinAction 39
AbortionPast 41
AbortionPresent 64
AbortionFuture 72
ChapterIII
EqualChoice 76
EqualJusticeunderLaw 76
ConstitutionalEquality 79
DiscriminatoryStateAction 84
JudicialReview 96
SlaughteringtheCompany:ThePrudentialCase
againstEqualChoice 103
TheSimpleJusticeofGeneralLaws 106
ChapterIV
RulebyLaw 108
BytheLawoftheLand 108
RulebyLawversusRulebyDiscretion 109
JudicialRulebyLaw 114
LawEnforcementinaDemocracy 115
viii CONTENTS
ChapterV
RealizingEqualChoice 118
PersuasionandPolitics 118
TheCritiqueofPureLitigation 121
TheMythofthePro-ChoiceMajority 131
RethinkingAbortionPolitics 142
Pro-ChoiceStrategyandtheNewDealPartySystem 153
Conclusion
TheAllureofPro-Life 157
Notes 161
Bibliography 209
IndexofCases 237
GeneralIndex 240
Acknowledgments
RETHINKINGABORTIONdefendsandelaboratesthetraditionalAmerican
antipathytowardspecialprivilegesinanyareaoflaw.Fortunatelyforme,
the principle of equality under law has never extended to personal rela-
tionships.Whilewritingthisbook,Iwasfrequentlyremindedofhowspe-
ciallyprivilegedIhavebeentohavefaithfulfriends,learnedassociates,and
alovingfamily.Withouttheirinspirationandhelp,thisbookwouldhave
beenasubstantiallyinferiorwork.
I am particularly grateful for the advice and comments I received
frommycolleaguesandgraduatestudentsattheUniversityofTexasand
theUniversityofMaryland.DavidBraybrooke,ScottPowe,SandyLevin-
son, Henry Dietz, Bob Hardgrave, Brian Roberts, Wallace Mendelson,
Jim Gimpel, Doug Laycock, Sarah Weddington, Mike Sharlot, Paul
Herrnson,Fran Buntman, andLewis Ringel readandimprovedpartsor
all of this work. JimFishkin and Jon Wilkenfeld eachcreated a support-
ive academic environment and provided summer money. Friends too
numeroustobenamedchippedinwithhelpfulasidesandconsistenten-
couragement.
RogersSmith,AndyKoppelman,PhilippaStrum,SteveHelle,andJen-
niferDavidsonofferedadditionalandimportantsuggestionswhenIwent
outsidemyuniversitiesforassistance.LeslieGoldsteinmeritsspecialmen-
tion for giving me the opportunity to test an early version of the manu-
scriptattheAmericanPoliticalScienceAssociationandinheranthology,
Feminist Jurisprudence: The Difference Debate (Rowman and Littlefield,
1992).TheVirginiaJournalofSocialPolicyandtheLawgraciouslypub-
lishedaversionofchapterIIintheirSpring1994edition.
RethinkingAbortionexistsbecauseMalcolmDeBevoisehadtheconfi-
dencetoseethemanuscriptthroughsomeverydarkdays.LindaMcClain
and two anonymous readers for Princeton University Press all extended
themselves generously in their analyses and recommendations for im-
provement. I am also grateful to Alice Falk, for the superb job she did
copyeditingthemanuscript,andtoMolanChunGoldstein,forsmoothly
expediting its production. Heidi Sheehan deserves extra plaudits for
promptly addressing my innumerable nervous concerns with her usual
professionalgrace.
My family is the most special privilege I enjoy. Without Julia Frank’s
emotional and editorial support, this book would have been little more
thanscrappaperforthechildren.Dr.Frankservedasmymedicaladvisor
andreadmoreversionsofthemanuscriptthanIwouldliketoadmit.Her
x ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
sharp eye is the reason why Humean philosophers will not ponder the
nature of a “sceptic” abortion. Any fault you may find with Rethinking
Abortion,however,probablyresultedfromtheattentionIpaidtoNaomi,
Abigail, and Rebecca. Of course, any fault you may find with Naomi,
Abigail, and Rebecca probably resulted from the attention I paid to Re-
thinkingAbortion.