Shortlisted for the 2021 Stephan Russo Goddard Riverside Book
Prize for Social Justice
This definitive
account of the battle for reproductive freedom includes a bold new
strategy to safeguard our rights, from two lawyers at the forefront
of the movement.
Reproductive freedom
has never been in more dire straits. Roe v. Wade protected abortion
rights and Planned Parenthood v. Casey unexpectedly preserved them.
Yet in the following decades these rights have been gutted by
restrictive state legislation, the appointment of hundreds of
anti-abortion judges, and violence against abortion providers. Today,
the ultra-conservative majority at the Supreme Court has activists,
medical providers, and everyday Americans worry that we are about to
lose our most fundamental reproductive protections.
When Roe is toppled,
abortion may quickly become a criminal offense in nearly one-third of
the United States. At least six states have enacted bans on abortion
as early as six weeks of pregnancy—before many women are even aware
they are pregnant. Today, 89% of U.S. counties do not have a single
abortion provider, in part due to escalating violence and
intimidation aimed at disrupting services. We should all be free to
make these personal and private decisions that affect our lives and
wellbeing without government interference or bias, but we can no
longer depend on Roe v. Wade and the federal courts to preserve our
liberties.
Legal titans Kathryn
Kolbert and Julie F. Kay share the story of one of the most divisive
issues in American politics through behind-the-scenes personal
narratives of stunning losses, hard-earned victories, and moving
accounts of women and health care providers at the heart of nearly
five decades of legal battles. At this make-or-break moment for legal
abortion in the United States, Kolbert and Kay propose audacious new
strategies inspired by medical advances, state-level protections,
human rights models, and activists across the globe whose courage and
determination are making a difference.
No more banging our
heads against the Court’s marble walls. It is time for a new
direction.