CSPAN RESEARCH COMPETITION

FRAMING AND
PARTISANSHIP IN THE
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
DEBATE
Morgan Murphy
WHAT IS FRAMING?

"Framing involves selection and salience. To frame is to select some aspects of a

perceived reality and make them more salient in a communicating text, in such a
way as to promote a particular problem definition, casual interpretation, moral
evaluation, or treatment recommendation" (Entman, 1993)

Essentially, frames highlight a specific piece of information about an item that is

being communicated.

(Entman, 1993)
HOW IS FRAMING PRESENT IN POLITICAL
COMMUNICATION WHEN CONSIDERING
HIGHLY PARTISAN ISSUES?
GEORGE LAKOFF
"the government becomes the strict
father whose
job for the country is to support
"STRICT (maximize overall wealth) and
protect (maximize military
FATHER" and political strength). "

GOVERNMENT "The highest moral value is to

preserve and extend the
FRAME domain of strict morality itself,
which translates into bringing the
values of strict father
morality into every aspect of life,
both public and private, domestic
and foreign."
(Lakoff, 2003)
GEORGE LAKOFF

"NURTURING "In this view, the job of government

is to care for, serve and protect the

PARENT" population
(especially those who are helpless),
GOVERNMENT to guarantee democracy (the equal
sharing of political
FRAME power), to promote the well-being of
all and to ensure fairness for all."

(Lakoff, 2003)
President Trump speaks about the pro-life movement at the March for Life.
TRUMP'S WORD CHOICE THEMES PRESENT
TRUMP'S WORD CHOICE

Pro-family
Faith
Pro-life
Family
Life Movement
Strong Women Patriotism
Amazing Faith Leaders Bravery
Brave Students
Uphold the Rights
Powered by prayer
Motivated by pure, unselfish love
Senator Kamala Harris talks about women's reproductive issues at a Des Moines town hall.
HARRIS' WORD CHOICE THEMES PRESENT
TRUMP'S WORD CHOICE

Reproductive Issue Civil Liberty

Constitutional Right Open Government
Exercising free will Equal Treatment
Health and well-being of women
Group Accountability
Women may actually die
Understanding equality
Fundamental aspects of equality
RESULTS
Framing changes the debate entirely, impacting every
aspect of the issue.
Both parties focus on different areas of the abortion
debate.
The frames that Trump uses centers his message around
faith and family values and the sanctity of life, which
appeals strongly to a conservative audience.
Harris presents her views through a lens of health
concerns, inequality in healthcare, and constitutional
rights. This appeals to the ideals of a liberal audience.
WHY DOES IT
MATTER?
Aids polarization
Consumerist society
Selective exposure
Works Cited