POLITICAL STRUCTURES AND INTEREST GROUP ACTIVISM - A COMPARISON OF THE BRITISH AND AMERICAN PROLIFE MOVEMENTS

This article examines the relationship between the structure of state power and interest group activism in Great Britain and the United Stat es using as a model a comparison of the pro-life movement in both coun tries. The article proposes that different types of political structur es create different sets of opportunities for interest group activism. A review of abortion politics in Britain shows how a unitary politica l system, lack of elite support, and strong party structures, frustrat ed the political efforts of pro-life organizations. In contrast, Ameri can pro-life interest groups took advantage of opportunities created b y a federal political system, weak political parties, and elite suppor t to become a significant social force in state and national politics.