A Question of Choice [Paperback]

Sarah Weddington (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 16, 1992

The attorney who represented the pro-choice side in the famous Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case recounts the story of her legal battle and victory and goes on to discuss the political and religious Right's attack on women's right to choose. 50,000 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A milestone in the ongoing battle for abortion rights was achieved 20 years ago before the Supreme Court by the then 27-year-old Texas lawyer Weddington who won the Roe v. Wade case legalizing abortion in the U.S. Here she recounts with clarity and fervor the remarkable story of how she, her husband and a few other lawyers, supported by a handful of doctors and pro-choice advocates, researched and prepared briefs invoking the "right of privacy" defense as a main argument to challenge the Texas anti-abortion law. However, certain conditions--trimester viability of the fetus, etc.--imposed by states, limited funding and services, along with well-organized, occasionally violent pro-life factions supported by conservative administrations and their court appointees, threaten to overthrow the 1973 decision. The author urgently calls for immediate, major and sustained efforts on the part of pro-choice forces to preserve the freedom of women to control their lives. Photos not seen by PW. BOMC and QPB alternates.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Starting with her years at the University of Texas Law School at Austin, Weddington, the attorney who won Roe v. Wade , traces the history of her involvement with this momentous Supreme Court case and its aftermath. She laments the ground that sometimes complacent pro-choice activists have lost since Roe v. Wade on issues like the 1989 Webster v. Reproductive Health Services decision and the 1991 Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas hearings, and she stresses the urgent need to regain this ground from an unceasingly pro-life Supreme Court. Although her writing is less dramatic and less accessible to the general reader than Marian Faux's Roe v. Wade ( LJ 6/1/88), Weddington is generally direct and always sincere, and she offers some different perspectives on certain aspects of the case that differs from the Faux book. Recommended for all libraries. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/92.
- Linda Knaack, Univ. of Lowell Libs., Mass.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 306 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult (September 16, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399137904
• ISBN-13: 978-0399137907
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,921,597 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Good choice for a book club!, June 29, 2009

By 

A. T. (Ann Arbor, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Question of Choice (Paperback)

I choose this book for my book club and couldn't be more pleased. What's most fascinating is that much of the text covers a time when I was quite young and, to some degree, have been ignorant of. For example, I wasn't aware of some of the employment law she mentions that discriminated against women. The book reads as 1/3 personal history, 1/3 US history and 1/3 legal and legislative processes. Don't be put off however as Weddington discusses these processes in a manner that is interesting, accessible and ultimately designed to educate the reader.

15 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dynamic recap of the past century, August 9, 2000

By 

Robin Orlowski "political activist" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Question of Choice (Paperback)

I had the honor of taking a leadership class with Sarah Weddington where this book was used as a main text. The story of this accomplished woman bears testament to the changes fought for and won by women in the second wave of feminsim, both in the state of Texas and in the Nation.

Prior to reading this book, I knew that Roe vs. Wade originated in Texas, but I never actually understood how much things changed for women of my generation. Both women and men alike will marvel at the antiquated norms Weddington faced as a young woman and how she ultimately overcame them. For all of the frustrations I presently voice about the status of women in the world, I am not at all certain I would have her personal courage when faced with such overwhelming sexism.

As a Texas state legislator, she was responsible for an equal credit act, a rape reform bill (co-sponsored with another new female representative named Kathryn Bailey) and the state's Equal Rights Amendment. To realize that one woman had accomplished all of this is simply amazing and inspiring.

Although there is not as much White House era musings as I would have prefered, the fact that she got in when few presidents of either party appointed large numbers of women is really signifigant. Not satified with her own personal triumph, she then worked to ensure that future generations would not have the same hardship. Working alongside Midge Constanoza, Weddington used her position to encourage more women to get involved in policymaking.

Also heartening is Weddington's inclusion of steps to protect reproductive choice at the book's end.Unlike some other books on reproductive rights, the message comes in loud and clear: Defend choice every day and without compromise. The battles may be long and weary, but the nation cannot afford to abandon the 30 year old (at least in spirit) promise of women's bodily autonomy.

Even though the original version of the book was released during the 1992 elections, it is a message that bears repeating in every presidential campaign. Vote pro-choice and vote often to protect women's right to life.

10 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Important lessons on leadership for both women and men, March 21, 1999

By 

"johndoe02" - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Question of Choice (Paperback)

This outstanding book offers an excellent perspective into the life of one of America's most important female attorneys. Regardless of one's political views on abortion, "pro-life" and "pro-choice" advocates alike can agree that Sara Weddington's critical role in this monumental turning point in U.S. abortion rights history serves as an important lesson on the development and evolution of leadership roles for, and the civil rights of, women. This book is for men just as much as it is for women. Men will gain an invaluable insight into their counterparts by adding significantly to their understanding of women. This book is a "must read" for any person of any political persuasion who wishes to add to their comprehension of the question of abortion, the rights of women, and the evolution of the leadership roles assumed by women.