Customer Reviews

Abortion And Woman's Choice: The State, Sexuality, and Reproductive Freedom (Northeastern Series on Feminist Theory)

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I started reading this book to get a head start on my Indepdendent Study course and came away mesmerized by the combination of ecconomic statistics and radical feminist theory combined into one package.

Petchesky's premise claims that a through understanding of the state must include reproductive rights and vice versa. Furthermore, the debate over abortion is not so much about the status of the fetus, but the very meaning and place of woman's status in relation to the larger society.

Because that question cannot fully be examined without delving into how ecconomic status and ethnicity affect women's options, a multifaceted analysis is thoughtfully woven throughout the text. Abortion is only one dimension to women's health, and different options may be appropriate for the same woman at different points in a single life time.

Although the book is dated 1990, it should not pose a deterent to the scholar because the issues we are researching have essentially remained static through the past couple of years. Petchesky devotes separate chapters to teen sexuality policy and the funding attacks of the far right--issues that are now central to the question of choice.

I needed to read A LOT of books about abortion politics for my PhD dissertation - and although this book might come across as an older source, it is one of the most thorough, and critical analyses of not only abortion in the U.S. context, but of abortion policy overall. Petchesky's takes a clear stance the U.S. debate, but what actually make her book special is her analysis with regards to what abortion policy means in the overall context of a nation. The first two chapters should not be missed if you want to know about what abortion as a policy matter means for gender regimes within a state. The conclusion IS a bit outdated, but the book itself is a great source.