Life Ethics in the Digital Age: A Comparative Study of Catholic Anti-Abortion and Anti-Death Penalty Messaging on Social Media

Presentation Type

Poster

Conference Date

Spring 4-17-2026

Abstract

This research project examines differences in rhetorical framing between Catholic anti-abortion and anti-death penalty advocacy on social media. Both issues fall under the Catholic Church’s broader “pro-life” ethic, yet they are positioned differently within contemporary American political discourse: anti-abortion advocacy is commonly associated with conservative politics, while opposition to the death penalty is more frequently aligned with progressive movements. This divergence raises important questions about how shared theological commitments are communicated across politically polarized contexts. To investigate these differences, I analyze social media messaging in four Catholic Facebook groups over a five-month period. The sample includes two anti-abortion accounts and two anti-death penalty accounts, with each issue represented by one individual advocate and one organizational account. Using qualitative content analysis, I coded posts for rhetorical frames, recurring language, imagery, and thematic emphasis. In total, sixty-one coding categories were developed, including references to politicians, sanctity of life, criminal justice, Church teaching, and motherhood. By systematically comparing rhetorical strategies across these accounts, this study seeks to better understand how framing shapes the public presentation of Catholic moral advocacy in digital spaces.

Presenter

Mary Margaret LeBlanc

Faculty Mentor

Michael Henderson

Award

1st Place, LSU Manship College of Mass Communication

Academic Major

Mass Communication

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS