Even in the years after Roe vs. Wade, the issue of abortion did not divide the political parties — or most Americans. But as Reagan, the New Right, and the Christian Right took control in the Republican Party, they saw its potential to galvanize voters. In this bonus episode, legal historian Mary Ziegler joins Landslide host Ben Bradford to trace how abortion transformed from a muted sectarian issue with blurry, sometimes bizarre battle lines into today's explosive, polarizing wedge issue.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy