Abortion Politics in Congress

Scott H. Ainsworth is an Associate Professor of Political Science in the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Georgia. His work on lobbying, interest groups and the U.S. Congress has appeared in numerous outlets, including the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics and Legislative Studies Quarterly. He is the author of Analyzing Interest Groups. Thad E. Hall is an Associate Professor of Political Science and a Research Fellow at the Center for Public Policy and Administration at the University of Utah. He has authored or coauthored three books - Point, Click, and Vote: The Future of Internet Voting, Electronic Elections: The Perils and Promise of Digital Democracy and Authorizing Policy - and coedited the book Election Fraud: Detecting and Preventing Electoral Manipulation. He has written more than 20 articles and book chapters examining various aspects of public policy.

'This book proposes a new understanding of why political actors with extreme opinions might support only marginal adjustments to existing policies. The case of abortion would seem to preclude half-way positions, but Ainsworth and Hall's 'strategic incrementalism' explains what previously appeared a puzzle. The work will have a major impact on how we think of how politicians stake out their public positions on issues of controversy.' Frank Baumgartner, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

• Part I. Strategic Incrementalism and the Political Backdrop for Abortion Politics in Congress: 1. Some of the politics surrounding abortion policy; 2. The strategic foundations for incrementalism in legislatures; 3. The nature of Congress and incrementalism in abortion politics: views from the inside and views from the outside; 4. A short legislative history of abortion; Part II. Abortion in the House: 5. Sponsors of abortion policies; 6. Playing the field: committee referrals of abortion-related proposals; 7. Conclusion.