June 2, 2025 9:00 AM
Title: Unfolding Extremes: The Evolution of Abortion Rights Rhetoric within Congressional Press Releases
Committee members: Kelsy Kretschmer, Catherine Bolzendahl, Leanne Giordono
Abstract: This research seeks to uncover shifting trends in abortion rights rhetoric used by both Democratic and Republican parties by analyzing Congressional press releases across the 114th through 117th sessions. I employ text analysis methods, including word clouds, word frequency analysis, psychometric analysis using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) software, and simple random sampling to pull quotes. I utilize this data to identify key rhetorical trends and polarization in the framing of abortion rights. I hypothesize shifts of increased polarization between the Republican and Democratic parties over time, driven by extremist language on the right. My key findings reveal a growing partisan polarization in abortion rhetoric, with Republicans increasingly using emotionally charged language and Democrats maintaining a broader focus on reproductive healthcare in response to major legal and political developments.