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THE IRON CURTAIN: WHAT PRO-CHOICE and PRO-LIFE ORGANIZATIONS in KANSAS LEARN from EACH OTHER THROUGH COMMUNICATION by GEORGE H

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THE IRON CURTAIN: WHAT PRO-CHOICE AND PRO-LIFE ORGANIZATIONS IN KANSAS LEARN FROM EACH OTHER THROUGH COMMUNICATION by GEORGE H. WESTON B.G.S., University of Kansas, 2006 M.P.A., Kansas State University, 2010 A THESIS submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF ARTS Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work College of Arts and Sciences KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY Manhattan, Kansas 2012 Approved by: Major Professor Robert Schaeffer, Ph.D. Copyright GEORGE HENRY WESTON 2012 Abstract The purpose of this research started with a Cold War perspective of looking at the Pro-Choice and Pro-Life movement in the state of Kansas. They are in opposition of one another, so how do they communicate and see one another? Interviews were done in four cities in Kansas and with one organization located in Kansas City, Missouri that is responsible for their national organization’s mission in Kansas. Eighteen individuals were interviewed, which was split evenly with nine Pro-Choice and nine Pro-Life advocates in leadership or communication positions. Race, sex, religion, and age are all considered in the research. Most of the Pro-Choice organizations were found to be focused on multiple issues besides abortion, while all but one of the Pro-Life organizations were focused on the issue of abortion almost exclusively. There was a regional disconnect that showed a major difference of the thinking between the Kansas City metro area based organizations and the Wichita area based organizations, as the Wichita area advocates spoke more in detail about the events of the Summer of Mercy in 1991 and the death of Dr. Tiller in 2009. The research found that the Cold War analogy of the two sides works to only an extent, as the messages sent out are not directly sent to one another, even though both sides read what their opposition is saying. There might be subconscious messaging going on with some knowing the opposition is reading what they have to say. The learning factor for opposition organizations is that they are learning news tactics and how they should counter the actions and messages of the other side. Almost all direct communication between the two sides has been cutoff, thus that is where the Cold War analogy falls short as a comparison because both sides feel there is no agreeable middle ground or purpose for negotiations. Table of Contents Chapter 1 - Setting the Scene .......................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 Review of the Literature ............................................................................................................. 4 Methodology ............................................................................................................................. 10 Questions for Interviews ........................................................................................................... 14 Introduction to Research ........................................................................................................... 15 Chapter 2 - Pro-Choice Organizations .......................................................................................... 17 Peggy Bowman Second Chance Fund ...................................................................................... 17 NOW ......................................................................................................................................... 21 Trust Women ............................................................................................................................ 24 ACLU ........................................................................................................................................ 27 Planned Parenthood .................................................................................................................. 29 Chapter 3 - Pro-Life Organizations............................................................................................... 34 Kansas Catholic Conference ..................................................................................................... 34 Right to Life of Kansas ............................................................................................................. 36 RTLK, Inc. – West Sedgwick County ...................................................................................... 39 Operation Rescue ...................................................................................................................... 44 Kansas Coalition for Life .......................................................................................................... 47 Kansans for Life ........................................................................................................................ 52 Sidewalk Counseling & KFL in 1990s ..................................................................................... 56 Chapter 4 - Recruitment & Communication ................................................................................. 60 Chapter 5 - Communicating & Dealing with the Opposition ....................................................... 79 Chapter 6 - Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 100 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................... 113 iv Chapter 1 - Setting the Scene Introduction How does a social movement organization communicate with the public, their members, and the opposition? Do they learn anything from the opposition? Do they use this information to adjust their strategies and the messages they send out? This research focused on the activities of pro-choice and pro-life organizations in Kansas starting from 2002 to the present. The year 2002 was chosen because it is the year the pro-life organization Operation Rescue relocated to Wichita, KS in order to be in the same city as the Women’s Health Center, which provided abortions during the third trimester. Before the U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, Kansas was one of only a few states that had eased restrictions on abortion during previous decades. Kansas, one of the more socially conservative states today, has played a major role in the ideological battle of pro-life versus pro-choice. The election of pro-life candidate Phill Kline to the position of Kansas Attorney General in 2002 heated up the political debate on abortion in the state. Kline had been an adamant pro-life advocate in the Kansas House of Representative and during his run for a U.S. congressional seat in 2000. During his four-year term as Attorney General, Kline launched an investigation into two abortion clinics. He began investigating the alleged criminal activities of Planned Parenthood clinic in Overland Park, Kansas, and the Women’s Health Care Services in Wichita, KS, which provided late-term abortions under the direction of Dr. George Tiller, in addition to abortions in the first and second trimesters. When Kline took office, only two other clinics in the United States openly practiced late- term abortions as far into the third trimester as Women’s Health Care Services. Dr. Tiller 1 became a focal point for pro-life and pro-choice organizations, which both used the clinic as a way to confront each other. Operation Rescue, originally based in California, conducted what they called the “Summer of Mercy” for six weeks outside Tiller’s Wichita clinic in 1991. The protests, including sit-ins, resulted in more than 1,600 arrests. Operation Rescue’s protests closed Tiller’s clinic and two other abortion clinics in Wichita for more than a week. In 2002, Operation Rescue branched out and relocated to Wichita, Kansas, a move that made Kansas a focal point for the debate between pro-life organizations such as Operation Rescue and Kansans for Life, while being countered by pro-choice organizations such as the National Organization for Women and Planned Parenthood. (Wilkerson 1991) Since Operation Rescue’s “Summer of Mercy” protests, organizations have changed the way they mobilize and communicate with the public and their members. These altered the dynamics of pro-life and pro-choice organizations that are active in Kansas. These organizations still use paper newsletters, press releases, and news stories on the activities and views of the organization, but the rapid advances in technology and social communication have allowed these organizations to communicate via websites, e-newsletters and action alerts, which may be delivered to a person immediately via cellular phone. Because these organizations keep a high profile, the media often asks these organizations to give interviews or reactions on stories involving abortion. These organizations attempt to frame the debate on abortion by engaging in public protests and various other forms of activity meant to be visible to the public and the opposition. Organizations rely on certain situations to arise in order to engage in a more vocal and massive manner, as their members are more likely to be active if they feel their time and effort is making a difference. 2 How do highly polarizing organizations communicate with the public, their members, and with their opponents? They use newsletters to educate members that already share the ideology of the
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