Abortion & Life (Paperback)

by Jennifer Baumgardner (Author)
Key Phrases: reproductive justice, multiple abortions, New York, Supreme Court, Guttmacher Institute (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Activist, filmmaker (of I Had an Abortion) and co-author (Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism and the Future) Baumgardner dedicates her work to spreading awareness about abortion. Graced with black and white photo portraits by Tara Todras-Whitehill of women wearing Baumgardner's shirt, reading simply "I had an abortion," the emphasis is on the testimony of these patients, revealing not only how common the procedure is (one in three women, according to the Guttmacher Institute) but how diverse those women and their situations are. Baumgardner begins with a brief history of abortion legislation in America, from pre-Roe v. Wade restrictions to clinic workers and doctors protested, threatened and murdered (as in the case of Buffalo doctor Barnett Slepian). Still, as Baumgardner says, it's the record of "our lives that might provide the best road map to strengthening women's reproductive freedoms." Included is a comprehensive listing of abortion resources, and 10 percent of the book's profits go to the New York Abortion Access Fund.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
Activist, filmmaker (of I Had an Abortion) and co-author (Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism and the Future) Baumgardner dedicates her work to spreading awareness about abortion. Graced with black and white photo portraits by Tara Todras-Whitehill of women wearing Baumgardner's shirt, reading simply "I had an abortion," the emphasis is on the testimony of these patients, revealing not only how common the procedure is (one in three women, according to the Guttmacher Institute) but how diverse those women and their situations are. Baumgardner begins with a brief history of abortion legislation in America, from pre-Roe v. Wade restrictions to clinic workers and doctors protested, threatened and murdered (as in the case of Buffalo doctor Barnett Slepian). Still, as Baumgardner says, it's the record of "our lives [that] might provide the best road map to strengthening women's reproductive freedoms." Included is a comprehensive listing of abortion resources, and 10 percent of the book's profits go to the New York Abortion Access Fund. -- Publishers Weekly, Sept. 2008

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Akashic Books (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933354593
• ISBN-13: 978-1933354590
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #308,777 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #24 in

  Books > Nonfiction > Women's Studies > Abortion & Birth Control

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Primer on US Abortion, November 13, 2008

By	J. Aragon "Feminist Educator" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is one of those books that stays with you as your read it, and then when you finish it. I read this book chapter by chapter over the course of several days. I did this in order to process it, but didn't realize that was the plan. I've read other works by the author and have witnessed how at times her point of view can come across as one colored by certain types of privilege (skin color, class, education, and regionalism) and this book is no different.

For young women born after Roe, this book will give a brief, interesting history of life pre and post Roe. And, the vignettes are at times powerful and painful.

There are a few things that bothered me. At times the author makes certain claims that I really don't think she could as someone who hasn't had an abortion; yet her words read as if she was speaking for all women. While I've suggested the book to some of my students, I hasten to give it five stars.

I actually wish that Amy Richards or someone else had written this book. I think that AR or another's personal touch wouldn't have been so self-righteous or at least read as such by this reader. Basically, this book is good to begin conversations and debates.

This book has a wide audience--general readers and it could be assigned in history, women's studies, sociology, psychology, and health classes.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Powerful but also disturbing, January 5, 2009

By	J. Davis (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've never had so much trouble deciding how many stars to give a book. Abortion and Life is a powerful and convincing polemic for the pro-choice position. Baumgardner writes with great passion and eloquence. Pro-lifers may rethink their position after reading the first few chapters. Having said this, the book made me uncomfortable. I can understand the argument that the decision to abort should remain with the woman bearing the child and that it is completely unacceptable that we go back to the back-alley abortion days before Roe v. Wade. But the women who wear the "I had an abortion" shirt (to me at least)are making a different claim, and a less obvious one. They are saying that there is nothing at all morally problematic about abortion. Their decision to abort does not seem to bother them in the least. One wearer of the shirt put it bluntly: I have no regrets. I found this casual attitude very troubling. A book well worth reading, thinking about, and discussing.