Politicized issues
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Politicized issues are social, economic, theological, spiritual, medical or legal issues which have gone through a process of becoming political - that is, that people have become politically active about that issue. An example of this would be abortion which has become a contentious legal and political issue in the United States. Often terminology will change as it becomes a political issue with each side describing themselves using a positive label and assigning a negative label to those who oppose their views.
Using abortion as an example, those who think that abortion should be a legal medical option describe their views as 'pro-choice', while their opponents might be labeled 'woman haters' or 'right wing fundamentalists'. Those opposed to legal abortion describe their views as 'pro-life', and might label their opponents as 'baby killers' or 'murderers'.
Heavily politicized issues are often called "hot button issues" because almost any position taken is sure to please one group of people and offend another. Politically active people and orgainzations will often employ a 'litmus test' to evaluate a candidate. For example, a candidate for political office who shares the same view on abortion as a political organization may receive their endorsement regardless of the candidates views on other subjects.
Sometimes the term "politicized" itself becomes a negative label. A group holding one opinion on an issue will sometimes accuse their opposition of "politicizing the issue". The implication is that they are honestly dealing with the issue on the merits while the opposition is bringing the issue up purely for political gain.
Other politicized issues include separation of church and state, gun control, welfare, and capital punishment.