The Lie that Binds is the indispensable account of how the formerly non-partisan, back-burner issue of abortion rights was reinvented as the sharp point of the spear for a much larger movement bent on maintaining control in a changing world. Written by NARAL Pro-Choice America President Ilyse Hogue and Research Director Ellie Langford, The Lie that Binds traces the evolution of some of the most dangerous and least understood forces in U.S. politics, offering an unflinchingly incisive analysis of the conservative political machinery designed to thwart social progress — all built around the foundational lie that their motivations are based in moral convictions about individual pregnancies.

This book introduces the colorful cast of characters behind the Radical Right — from anti-ERA protestors to men’s rights activists — and explains how conservative political operatives intentionally indoctrinated their followers to rally around abortion as their other prejudices fell from favor. Ultimately, opposing abortion rights was a Trojan horse to move a deeply unpopular, regressive policy agenda under the guise of “morality.” Hogue and Langford’s deeply-researched investigation is an essential primer for political observers, journalists, and engaged citizens, pulling back the curtain on how this radical operation drives our politics and threatens our democracy. Read it and learn the truth behind the lie.