Abstract
The National Sanctity of Human Life Day (NSHL) was declared 22 times between 1984 and 2021. The proclamations were a strategy to strengthen electoral support for Republican presidents by validating the humanity of the unborn child. The presidents crafted a narrative of American exceptionalism supported by a beneficent Christian God, with the president serving as a moral leader. Collectively, the themes justified paternalistic authority over women’s reproductive autonomy. This feminist rhetorical analysis reveals the evolving power of the unborn child ideology from 1984 to the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. The study demonstrates the rhetorical power of presidential ceremonial speech for building coalitions and advancing the president’s policy agenda.
Published Version
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