The power of problem definition

Many political commentators argue that problem definition is the most important component of the policy formation process. Problem definition is crucial because it defines how we first identify public issues, which in turn influences how we define appropriate solutions. Over time, the initial way a problem is defined then crystallizes policy debates, producing what can then become a very rigid framework, all but impossible to expand or modify (Rochefort and Cobb, 1994: vii, pp. 4).

The abortion issue, particularly in the US, is a classic example of the power of problem definition for determining not only policy outcomes for American women, but also the crystallization of policy debates. Constitutionally, in the course of nearly 30 years of Supreme Court reasoning, abortion rights have become rigidly defined as a problem of decisional autonomy, that is, as a problem of privacy and choice. Politically, during that same time period, the problem of abortion has been defined by pro-life activists (as we would expect), but also by pro-choice advocates (as we might not expect) on the basis of a very traditional model of motherhood, one invoking cultural and ethical depictions of women as maternal, self-sacrificing nurturers.

The combination of defining the problem of abortion rights constitutionally in terms of the privacy of choice and politically in terms of a traditional view of motherhood has produced a rigid, serious policy consequence – namely, failure to obtain access to abortion services for women in the form of public funding of abortions.