Divided passions

Abortion and capital punishment are bitterly contested issues that provoke passionate yet contradictory attitudes about life and death. Drawing on in-depth interviews conducted with a diverse group of people who shared their views on religion, race, gender, and politics, Kimberly J. Cook probes the cultural forces underlying the apparent paradox of opposition to abortion and support for the death penalty. The author frames her examination within the context of the legal, political, and theoretical histories of abortion and capital punishment. Combining excerpts from her interviews with statistical analysis, she skillfully explores the full range of stances on these divisive social issues: pro-choice, anti-death penalty; pro-choice, pro-death penalty; pro-life, anti-death penalty; and pro-life, pro-death penalty. Cook finds that punitiveness, the desire to punish those who are perceived to violate a code of ethical behavior, is a common thread that links and explains the inconsistencies in public opinion.