★“Required reading for teens of every gender.”—Booklist, starred review
Abortion is one of the most common of all medical procedures. But it is still stigmatized, and all too often people do not feel they can talk about their experiences.
Making abortion illegal or hard to access doesn't make it any less common; it just makes it dangerous. Around the world, tens of thousands of women die from unsafe abortions every year.
People who support abortion rights have been fighting hard to create a world in which the right to access safe and legal abortion services is guaranteed. The opposition to this has been intense and sometimes violent, and victories have been hard won.
The long fight for abortion rights is being picked up by a new generation of courageous, creative and passionate activists. This book is about the history, and the future, of that fight.
Robin Stevenson is the author of more than twenty-five books for kids and teens, including Pride Puppy!, Pride Colors and Kid Activists: True Tales of Childhood from Champions of Change. The first edition of her nonfiction book Pride: Celebrating Diversity & Community (2016) won a Stonewall Honor and was shortlisted for numerous other awards. Robin lives in Victoria, British Columbia.
Table of Contents
Introduction What Is an Abortion? Who Has Abortions?
Chapter One: Looking Back: The History of Abortion
Racism and Population Control
The Criminalization of Abortion
The Illegal-Abortion Era
Fighting for Change
Chapter Two: Fighting for Choice
The Fight for Legal Abortion in the United States
Fighting for Choice in Canada
Chapter Three: Abortion Under Attack
Violence and Harassment
Restrictions to Access in the United States
Anti-Abortion Propaganda
Choice and the Church
Reproductive Rights and the Trump–Pence Administration
Chapter Four: Fighting for Safe Abortion Around the World
Abortion Pills
Global Impact of us Policy
Fighting for Abortion Rights in Ireland
Women’s Strike in Poland
Women on Waves
Women on Web
Behind the Scenes: Working For Social Change
Chapter Five: The Way Forward: Stories from the Front Lines
Moving from Choice to Reproductive Justice
Improving Access for All: Diversity and Abortion Services
Grassroots Activism
Using Social Media to Fight Abortion Stigma
The Real Experts: Listening to People Who Have Had Abortions
AUTHOR'S NOTE GLOSSARY RESOURCES REFERENCES PHOTO CREDITS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS INDEX