Abortion without Apology: A Radical History for the 1990s

This pamphlet is 20 years old now, but is still relevant. This book briefly details the history of the abortion movement, and how it went from a radical "repeal abortion law" to "legal and safe" paradigm. I think the quote in this book that really sums this up is:

"As long as the right-to-lifers demand that women give up all our options for abortion (Outlaw all abortion!) and pro-choice activists just ask to keep what women already have (Keep Abortion Safe and Legal!) then, by definition, we will lose ground every time a compromise is made."

It's true, and before this book was written, and after this book was written, women have just sat and watched our rights get eroded one law at a time.

The thing I found really interesting in this book show more was the first chapter about three women who really agitated for change in the late 1950s and 1960s. I don't recall reading about them in other books, and it's always refreshing to read a book that doesn't gloss over the time in between the first and second waves of feminism.

Even at 20 years old, this is still a useful book for people interested in reproductive rights, although until the last chapter it is very centered on white, middle-to-upper class experiences. show less