Generation Roe
Inside the Future of the Pro-Choice Movement
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
Strong support among women was key to Obama’s reelection. At the start of his second term, it is time for Barack Obama, forty years after Roe v. Wade, to finally help lead us to demystify abortion. One-third of all American women will have an abortion by the time they are 45, and most of those women are already mothers. Yet, the topic remains taboo. In this provocative book on the heels of the Planned Parenthood controversy, Sarah Erdreich presents the antidote to the usual abortion debates.
Inextricably connected to issues of autonomy, privacy, and sexuality, the abortion debate remains home base for the culture wars in America. Yet, there is more common ground than meets the eye in favor of choice. Generation Roe delves into phenomena such as "abortion-recovery counseling," "crisis pregnancy centers," and the infamous anti-choice "black children are an endangered species" billboards. It tells the stories of those who risk their lives to pursue careers in this stigmatized field. And it outlines the outrageous legislative battles that are being waged against abortion rights all over the country. With an inspiring spirit and a forward-looking approach, Erdreich holds abortion up, unabashedly, as a moral and fundamental human right.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In her first book, journalist and women's health advocate Erdreich delivers a passionate study of the past, current, and future state of the pro-choice movement in America. Forty years after Roe v. Wade, abortion remains such a polarizing and untouchable subject that few abortion care providers feel they can discuss what they do with any candor, and 87 percent of U.S. counties don't have an abortion provider. Even though abortion is one of the most common surgical procedures in the country, medical schools offer little formal training on the subject. Unapologetically pro-choice, Erdreich attends a pro-life march, visits a "crisis pregnancy center," interviews women about their abortions, and relates the stories of activists, practitioners, and medical students on the front lines. Assessing the history and legislative battles on both sides of the issue, she focuses on the aftermath of Roe v. Wade, which, though it gave women the right to make private health decisions, left states to regulate those decisions, especially after the first trimester. As Erdreich explains, this restriction paved the way for the abortion laws, passed after 1992, which impose "undue burdens" (mandatory ultrasounds, parental or spousal notification, or both, and waiting periods) on pregnant women. As a result, the current generation of abortion workers faces an environment that is far more hostile toward abortion access. This is a thoughtful and comprehensive treatment of one side of an emotionally charged topic. Penn Whaling, Ann Rittenberg Literary Agency.
