In the name of the mother: gender and religion in the crisis pregnancy center movement

The crisis pregnancy center movement is understudied relative to other pro-life movements. Using data from 38 women and men research participants, 18 months of ethnographic fieldwork, and content analysis of primary movement documents, this dissertation explores how gender and religion intersect within the crisis pregnancy center movement. I analyze the history, formal frames, and strategies of the movement; the role of religious identity in sustaining the movement; and how gender prompts activists to act in ways that run counter to movement rhetoric. I focus on the perspectives of the activists in this movement, and explore how they perceive their work as an expression of their religious faith and personal beliefs regarding abortion. I ground the study in the literature on women in conservative social movements and religions, drawing from subcultural identity theory to analyze multiple levels of the movement.