Abortion & the Public Square: An Examination of How American Secular Society Treats Religious Questions

Abstract

According to Carter, we fear “religious domination in politics” and grow wary of those who take religion too seriously. Because of this fear, the public square treats questions of religion differently than it treats questions of secular subjects. In the following pages I will to defend Carter’s argument and use abortion, a hot-button issue in the contentious debate that surrounds religion and politics as a lens through which to examine it. In order to focus my discussion I will analyze two landmark cases, Roe vs. Wade and Planned Parenthood vs. Casey, and explain how they support Carter’s argument that the American public square treats religious arguments differently that it treats secular arguments. In doing so, I will explain why both cases caused outrage among certain religious groups of people and offer my opinion in terms of how to address the controversial topic.