Scan barcode
chaniesgirl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Leslie Reagan is such a good historian. Her book was so informative and very easy to read and follow along. She never one lost me in her line of thought.
leahsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
When Roe v. Wade was overturned, I came across some social media posts that suggested some books to read, and this one was included on a list. While I kind of expected this one to be a bit dry and boring, I gave it a chance anyway. And I'm so glad I did, because this was anything but. Reagan managed to take over a century's worth of legal, medical, and societal information and present it in a way that was actually interesting.
By focusing on a single city, Reagan was able to find plenty of information in legal and medical records about women and abortions, both legal and illegal. It was clear that women wanted to exert more control over their body and their reproductive rights throughout the period described in this book. Initially, women were able to easily access abortions, but as they became increasingly regulated, women were forced to take increasingly desperate measures. Naturally, this led to dramatically worsening outcomes for the women.
Looking at it through today's lens, it is easy to be horrified by hearing about women having six, seven, or thirteen abortions. But looking at it through the view of those times, abortion was the only form of reproductive control available to women at those times, and often ensured that they were able to care for the children (often many children) that they already had, and in some cases struggled to provide for.
As birth control became increasingly available, the push towards women's rights and legislation protecting women's control over their own bodies was more powerful. This is when we started seeing major changes, and the legal protections that we had in place until recently.
However, with the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade, I couldn't help but be horrified at the steps our country is taking. Instead of moving forward, we are heading backwards, to a time clearly described in the pages of this book:
"If abortion is made illegal, some women will die; many more will be injured. The old abortion wards will have to be reopened, a public health disaster recreated. Making abortion hard to obtain will not return the United States to an imagined time of virginal brides and stable families; it will return us to the time of crowded septic abortion wards, avoidable deaths, and the routinization of punitive treatment of women by state authorities and their surrogates."
Overturning Roe v. Wade isn't a victory - it's a loss for women, for reproductive rights, and for us to have a say over our own bodies. It's a blow especially to the women who are most marginalized in our society: women of color, low-income, rural women, and those who have limited access to healthcare. These are the people who are most affected by lack of control over their bodies and reproductive health, and these are the same people who will turn to unsafe treatments, while people with greater access to care and resources will still be able to get safer care.
By studying the past, this book allowed me a sneak peek into the future of our own country. And it isn't a pretty sight. But this book is done so well.
By focusing on a single city, Reagan was able to find plenty of information in legal and medical records about women and abortions, both legal and illegal. It was clear that women wanted to exert more control over their body and their reproductive rights throughout the period described in this book. Initially, women were able to easily access abortions, but as they became increasingly regulated, women were forced to take increasingly desperate measures. Naturally, this led to dramatically worsening outcomes for the women.
Looking at it through today's lens, it is easy to be horrified by hearing about women having six, seven, or thirteen abortions. But looking at it through the view of those times, abortion was the only form of reproductive control available to women at those times, and often ensured that they were able to care for the children (often many children) that they already had, and in some cases struggled to provide for.
As birth control became increasingly available, the push towards women's rights and legislation protecting women's control over their own bodies was more powerful. This is when we started seeing major changes, and the legal protections that we had in place until recently.
However, with the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade, I couldn't help but be horrified at the steps our country is taking. Instead of moving forward, we are heading backwards, to a time clearly described in the pages of this book:
"If abortion is made illegal, some women will die; many more will be injured. The old abortion wards will have to be reopened, a public health disaster recreated. Making abortion hard to obtain will not return the United States to an imagined time of virginal brides and stable families; it will return us to the time of crowded septic abortion wards, avoidable deaths, and the routinization of punitive treatment of women by state authorities and their surrogates."
Overturning Roe v. Wade isn't a victory - it's a loss for women, for reproductive rights, and for us to have a say over our own bodies. It's a blow especially to the women who are most marginalized in our society: women of color, low-income, rural women, and those who have limited access to healthcare. These are the people who are most affected by lack of control over their bodies and reproductive health, and these are the same people who will turn to unsafe treatments, while people with greater access to care and resources will still be able to get safer care.
By studying the past, this book allowed me a sneak peek into the future of our own country. And it isn't a pretty sight. But this book is done so well.