Abortion Books

In the pain of the remorse and sorrow over ending a pregnancy in abortion, I found a great deal of hope and comfort in the pages of this book. The self-doubt, wishing I could go back to the doctor's office and make a different "choice" has been awful. If you are open to receiving help, peace of mind and a reason to go on living, you can find it here.

This book seems like it will be a helpful book for women who have gone through the painful and emotional abortion process-IT IS NOT....reading between the lines (and not too subtly) this is a pro-Jesus screed (accept Jesus and he will forgive you for your sin stuff) and is NOT RECOMENDED if you are really trying to recover....a MUCH better choice is "The Healing Choice" by Candace Du Puy....which truly is non judgmental and very helpful

None of the reviews mention the fact of Sanger's deep involvement with the pre-WWII Nazi movement and her racist devotion to the practice of eugenics. Any in-depth study of Sanger's life would surely reveal these involvements; a cleansed portrait of Ms. Sanger as this one apparently is can only be the product of a politically correct agenda.

Based on these reviews, I won't be buying or reading this book.

I've just finished reading this book for a women's history class. I found it hard to put down. It's a shame that it is out of print, as Margaret Sanger's life story, and her struggle for the reproductive rights of women and female autonomy, make for enlightening reading. Ellen Chesler put in an enormous amount of work, documenting every detail, and weaving the whole into a very readable book. I would definitely recommend this to any reader, not only those interested in the empowerment of women, but also those NOT interested in it, since it might change their minds! Definitely an important work, and an important woman, for gaining an understanding of how the 20th century has been shaped.

This is a good way to start a discussion with your middle-school-aged child, but it is definitely dated. With a publishing date of 1992, keep in mind that a great deal of legislation has happened concerning abortion in the past 12 years which is not reflected in this book. Still, it is a useful tool for someone looking to talk about 1. abortion issues, 2. the way our legislators' votes can directly affect our lives, and 3. one's religious beliefs or lack thereof. I'll keep it on my homeschool bookshelf for a reference book.

I read a copy that was given by the author to his mother. It gives a good arguments against even cases most pro- lifers would grant an exception for ie rape and incest. He does get overly technical with such terms as teleological etc. so, it isnt for the novice but I would recomend everybody interested in the abortion debate read this book

Not one of my favorite books, but still worth reading .. .If you want to read a book that goes straight to your heart, read Stolen Moments by Barbara Jeanne Fisher. . .It is a beautiful story of unrequited love. . .for certain the love story of the nineties. I intended to give the book a quick read, but I got so caught up in the story that I couldn't put the book down. From the very beginning, I was fully caught up in the heart-wrenching account of Julie Hunter's battle with lupus and her growing love for Don Lipton. This love, in the face of Julie's impending death, makes for a story that covers the range of human emotions. The touches of humor are great, too, they add some nice contrast and lighten things a bit when emotions are running high. I've never read a book more deserving of being published. It has rare depth. Julie's story will remind your readers that life and love are precious and not to be taken for granted. It has had an impact on me, and for that I'm grateful. Stolen Moments is written with so much sensitivity that it made me want to cry. It is a spellbinder. What terrific writing. Barbara does have an exceptional gift! This book was edited by Lupus specialist Dr. Matt Morrow too, and has the latest information on that disease. ..A perfect gift for someone who started college late in life, fell in love too late in life, is living with any illness, or trying to understand a loved one who is. . .A gift to be cherished forever.

I appreciate what Kathy Rudy is trying to do with this book, but I wonder if it isn't based on a romantic communitarian myth about the essential unity of all women if only we could get right- wing women to change their minds about abortion.

I am a pro-choice Catholic woman,and I really have to ask why she didn't bother to have a look at the work of Catholics for a Free Choice or the WomenChurch movement before she made inaccurate generalisations about faith and feminism. For the record, pro-choice Catholicism is not coeval with liberal Catholicism, no what Rudy believes. I think most pro-choice Catholics would prefer an ethics of open communitarianism and preferential option for the poor and oppressed. Indeed, it is the paradox between anti-abortion social policies that leave women bleeding and dying from backstreet abortions and the call to serve the poor and oppressed that drives most pro-choice Catholics I know. As far as the comments about intellectual disability goes too, Rudy needs to have a closer look at the exact nature of some forms of foetal disability that render viability impossible. I wish Rudy and Faye Ginsburg would wake up. Romantic communitarianism will not help women. Practical solutions will, including a more just society for reproductive choice to occur in.

I read this book in College.

It's not a definitive work of the entire debate, but does raise different sides of the argument regarding choice and abortion. I found it to be a balanced book. The author spoke to women engaged in the Choice debate from both sides of the fence one town/city. WHile this may not be the case now, the women knew eachother and eachother's organizations, and were, in some cases, very collegial. I would recommend this book quite highly.

This little volume has some classic essays- Judith Jarvis Thompson's famous "violinist" essay and Michael Tooley's defense of infanticide are both here. Both are still well worth reading, though to my mind Tooley's essay has aged better. There is still something to get out out Thompson's paper, but the fact that it was written (as all of these were) in the early 70's shows more in hers. John Finnis does what he always does- give an argument that you must be a Catholic to accept and then claim that it's self-evidently true. Very annoying. While it's worth while to read the essays by Tooley and Thompson, it might be better over-all to get a more up-to-date volume.

ROE v. WADE, Bo Schambelan's annotated transcription of the watershed decision by the same name, is of doubtless value to those who, despite having never read a Supreme Court opinion, wish to dive immediately into the deep end of the pool. Intended primarily for a lay audience with a fervid interest in the controversial case, Schambelan's book is comprised mostly of text taken verbatim from the Court's own published opinion. On the upside, most of the book's content comes directly from the horse's mouth. On the downside, the Court's text hardly makes for an easy read for the uninitiated. Essentially a reference work, ROE v. WADE provides readers with abridged transcripts of the Court's decisions in both Roe v. Wade and its companion case, Doe v. Bolton, as well as all concurring and dissenting opinions, including original footnotes and citations.

The remainder of the book is taken up with a variety of supplements which are particularly worthwhile to anyone lacking a pre-law background. The introduction, though not substantive enough to qualify as a case primer, does provide a summary of the Court's opinion which is sufficient to enlighten less familiar readers. Far more useful is the author's preparatory "Notes on the Text" which mercifully explains the arcane style of legal citations for anyone ambitious enough to track them down. Also of interest is the author's "Postscript" which lists the citations and abbreviated holdings of every Supreme Court ruling on abortion legislation from 1973 through the 1992 Casey decision.

Of some incidental value are the biographical sketches of every Justice who has sat on the Court, again, from 1973 through 1992. More serviceable, however, is Schambelan's "Glossary" which should go a long way toward dispelling much of the confusion that any casual reader is likely to encounter. To his credit, Schambelan also provides a reprint of those constitutional amendments on which so much of the Court's analysis of abortion rights turns. To his discredit, however, he neglected to include a list of secondary sources that might have spurred further study.

Keeping in mind that the central tenets of the Roe decision are, for the moment, still controlling in abortion jurisprudence, ROE v. WADE is perhaps of greatest utility to those who wish to understand the Court's stated position on reproductive freedom without having first to immerse themselves in pre-legal academics. For those who decide to pursue the issue, this book establishes a cursory yet solid foundation.

It is unfortunate that there are so few books that even give Dennett the time of day. Most just mention her as an aside and Chen gets it right in the beginning of the book when she lists the endless afronts done to Dennett in current historical works on the Birth Control Movement. They do get her name wrong, her accomplishments get confused with others' and Sanger gets all the attention because she demanded it. The only downside here is that this is one of the only current books that is exclusively about Dennett and it is highly opionated. Chen lets out seemingly angry and defensive comments toward Dennett's rivals and regularly is hypocritical in her defense of Dennett. I understand why, but it does make it difficult to use in my research.