Customer Reviews

Abortion & Life

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book really explains the journey that abortion has taken over the past years. It includes stories of real women from all ages, walks of life, and eras who have had abortions. It sites cases, life experiences, and the true meaning of freedom that the ability to decide for ourselves to terminate a pregnancy affords. Whether you are pro-life or pro-choice, it is an interesting read. I talked about it so much, my husband read it too. He was brought up to believe abortion was a terrible thing, but now his mind is opened up to what it really is, how it works, and why women seek this option. I highly recommend this book.

Personal accounts are accompanied by portraits taken by photographer Tara Todras-Whitehill, including pictures of women as famous as Ani DiFranco and Gloria Steinem, wearing the "I had an Abortion" t-shirt. This volume is not about yelling in the streets or holding picket signs; it is not about being confrontational and aggressive toward anti-choice "activists." It is about presenting the facts of what women went through and showing how necessary abortion is in an imperfect world. As long as we are yelling at each other and threatening each other, rather than listening and talking calmly, we can't reach an understanding. Abortion & Life has a buddha-like, gentle approach to the subject of abortion, not using the "us and them" mentality that is so common but rather showing why abortion is important, in hopes that abortion's enemies will make some attempt at tolerance.

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.

This is a great book! It really dives into the many parts of the abortion issue with the understanding that a lot of women feel a lot of different emotions after having one. I think people forget that real feelings are involved when making the decision to abort and that a woman can be at peace with her decision while feeling sad or mourning a loss, and still not regret the abortion.

Chapter 5 contains the stories of several women, how they feel about what happened and what was going on in their lives at the time of the procedure. Each woman is pictured in her "I had an abortion" t-shirt. To really see the women made them more than characters or examples in a story.

I would absolutely recommend this book. Instead of being a rant on the issue, it was kind and respectful- not how some people act when discussing abortion.

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.