Krista Jacob

This was a pretty solid collection of essays about abortion. Many of the essays centered about re-framing the abortion debate, making the pro-choice stand less of a pro-abortion stand and more of a pro-woman, pro-prevention, pro-rights stand.

The abortion debate is very nuanced, and to say that there is a black-and-white clear-cut answer to any of the questions raised is simply false. While many woman (and men) have conflicted moral opinions about abortion, that is no reason to say that some women don't, and that both viewpoints are totally valid. However, the reality is that most women will either need an abortion at some point in their life, or know somebody who will.

A few of the essays talk about prevention, and this is an important topic. In the midst of getting rid of legislation that allows pharmacists to deny women birth control (yet men can purchase Viagra, have it covered by their insurance, and don't have to worry about being seen as sinners) as well as the ramping-down of abstinence-only education, it's a hopeful time that our government will start stepping up and ensuring that women and girls are armed with the facts that they need to keep themselves protected via contraception if that is what they so chose. The Pill (or condoms, or IUDs, or whatever) is a huge step in reducing the need for abortion, but it is sadly not available to many women and girls.

The essays bring up many of the barriers to full access to reproductive rights and justice - poor women are unlikely to be able to afford contraception, many rural women have to drive hours to get to a clinic, younger women are stuck with parental consent laws, etc. It also brings up the good points that abortion would be unlikely to happen if more women had the resources (money, insurance, etc.) to raise healthy and wanted children. Unfortunately, the pro-"life" agenda seems to be more about taking away women's right to autonomy and choice and less about addressing these systemic issues that lead women to abortion in the first place.

This is definitely a great collection of essays for anybody interested in seeing many sides of the pro-choice platform. The essays bring up a lot of interesting and unique viewpoints that are hard to find in mainstream media outlets.… (mere)