This research explores the similarities between the 19th century abolition movement and the 21st century pro-life movement. In both situations, activists fought against legal decisions and public sentiment that modified discrimination based on bigotry, be it that of the racism of skin-color or the dependency of physical development.

Scott Klusendorf (2009), a pro-life advocate and author, said, “In the past, we used to discriminate on the basis of skin color…., but now with elective abortion, we discriminate on the basis of size, level of development, location, and degree of dependency. We've simply swapped one form of bigotry for another. (pg. 66)”

In court cases animating each movement, the U.S Supreme Court ruled that the slave and the fetus, respectively, were not people guaranteed rights.

Generally, the public believed either

•Slavery/abortion was wrong •Slavery/abortion was not wrong •Slavery/abortion was wrong, but individuals can choose for themselves.

However, Christian morality motivated both groups of social activists, and attempted to change public opinion to reflect their moral perspective.

Activists in both movements used similar tactics to argue for their causes, including use of popular media, rebellion, and, in some instances, violence.