"I Had an Abortion": A Feminist Analysis of the Abortion Debate

Authors

Elizabeth Fleitz Kuechenmeister, Bowling Green State UniversityFollow

Abstract

This article explores the rhetoric surrounding the controversial “I Had an Abortion" t-shirt, sold by Planned Parenthood in 2005-2006. In order to understand the rhetorical impact of the t-shirt, Burkean dramatism is used to identify what terms are added and what terms are overlooked. A dramatism analysis of both pro-choice and pro-life rhetoric is included to position the t-shirt in the abortion debate.

About the Author(s)

Elizabeth Kuechenmeister is an instructor of General Studies Writing at Bowling Green State University, where she teaches freshman composition. Her research interests include gender studies, rhetoric and the materiality of the body, and the study of rhetorical practices unique to women.

DOI

10.15760/harlot.2012.8.8

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/39438

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Kuechenmeister, Elizabeth Fleitz (2012) ""I Had an Abortion": A Feminist Analysis of the Abortion Debate," Harlot: A Revealing Look at the Arts of Persuasion: No. 8, 8.
https://doi.org/10.15760/harlot.2012.8.8