A Relational Approach to Moral Decision‐making: The Majority Opinion in Planned Parenthood v. Casey

Authors

Patricia A. Sullivan, State University of New York ‐ New PaltzFollow
Steven R. Goldzwig, Marquette UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Language

eng

Format of Original

24 p.

Publication Date

1995

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Source Publication

Quarterly Journal of Speech

Source ISSN

0033-5630

Abstract

Advocates supporting and opposing abortion rights were disappointed by the United Stales Supreme Court ruling on the Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act in Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992). The majority opinion upheld a “fundamental” right to abortion prior to fetal viability but also affirmed a State's right to regulate, abortions. Thus, in establishing a middle ground, the Court rejected simplistic approaches to moral reasoning and acknowledged the complex web of relationships involved in abortion decision‐making. This essay defines a relational approach to moral reasoning and analyzes the Casey decision as an exemplar of that approach. The case study suggests that rhetoricians should “revision” the art of persuasion and argument, in particular, to place more emphasis on relational values.

Comments

Quarterly Journal of Speech, Vol. 81, No. 2 (1995): 167-190. DOI.

Recommended Citation

Sullivan, Patricia A. and Goldzwig, Steven R., "A Relational Approach to Moral Decision‐making: The Majority Opinion in Planned Parenthood v. Casey" (1995). College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications. 371.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/comm_fac/371