"Anti-abortion crusade connects to the roots of far-right radicalism, from medical clinics to political power"
In her latest book, "From The Clinics To The Capitol," Carol Mason, a humanities professor at the University of Kentucky, delves into the intricate relationship between the anti-abortion movement and white nationalism.
Mason, a local authority on extremist movements and reproductive politics, argues that over time, these two movements have become more intertwined. The book's cover features a metal barricade, often associated with keeping anti-abortionists away from clinics and their clients, symbolising the physical and political barriers that have been erected in this ongoing battle.
One of the earliest signs of this intertwining, according to Mason, can be traced back to the 1990s, when a Klan group referred to abortion as genocide of the white race. Fast forward to 2017, during the first year of the first Trump administration, Mason noticed a change in anti-abortion group rhetoric, with the emergence of the slogan "ignore Roe."
Mason contends that the anti-abortion movement's absolutism reflects and encourages theocratic and white nationalist impulses. She suggests that the movement has facilitated intersections among far-right groups, citing the Army of God manual as an example.
The anti-abortion movement's goal, Mason asserts, is not just to regulate pregnancies but to end abortion altogether. She discusses the idea that pregnant people are seen as giving up their entitlement to call themselves part of the nation if they have an abortion.
The historical relationship between the anti-abortion movement and white nationalism is rooted in a shared ideology focused on controlling reproduction to maintain white racial dominance. This relationship has evolved over time, with contemporary white nationalist groups, such as Patriot Front, implicitly and explicitly supporting anti-abortion stances as part of a broader effort to control demographic changes and maintain whiteness as a dominant identity.
In recent years, the entanglement of anti-abortion activism and white nationalist ideology has become more visible, particularly as both movements align against reproductive rights for marginalized groups, with an emphasis on sustaining white fertility and family structures, often underpinned by eugenic and racial purity logic.
Mason also points out that the anti-abortion movement frames women as needing protection from abortion, implying that abortion is harmful to women. This narrative, she suggests, is not only misleading but also serves to reinforce harmful stereotypes and perpetuate discrimination against women.
In the context of the J6 rioters, Mason sees connections to the anti-abortion movement, although specific instances of this connection were not detailed in the provided paragraph. The Genocide Awareness Project, another anti-abortion campaign, started around the same time and was connected to the Promise Keepers, a group focused on conservative Christian men.
The Genocide Awareness Project chose its name and the G-A-P to correspond with the Promise Keepers' rally theme, "Stand In The Gap," which meant, to them, obeying God's law over man's law. This alignment further underscores the intersection between religious and political extremism in the anti-abortion movement.
Mason's book, published by NPR, offers a comprehensive examination of how the anti-abortion movement has become insurrectionary, shedding light on a troubling aspect of contemporary politics that demands our attention and action.
- Mason's book, "From The Clinics To The Capitol," explores the connection between education-and-self-development (personal growth) and politics, delving into the intricate relationship between the anti-abortion movement and white nationalism.
- The anti-abortion movement's stance on abortion is not just a matter of policy-and-legislation but also reflects an interest in career-development, as evidenced by the Army of God manual, which facilitates intersections among far-right groups.
- In the realm of general-news, the war-and-conflicts between reproductive rights activists and anti-abortion groups have seen an interesting intersection with crime-and-justice, as some anti-abortion groups have been linked to extremist movements.
- Mason's work also highlights the sports metaphor in the anti-abortion movement's rhetoric, where women are framed as needing protection (similar to a sports team) from abortion, a narrative that she argues is not only misleading but also serves to reinforce discrimination against women.
- The weather of public discourse has seen a significant shift, with polarizing issues like abortion being used as a tool for political gain, a trend that Mason's book illustrates in the context of the intertwining of politics, white nationalism, and the anti-abortion movement.
