Reviews

A Necessary Kindness by Juno Carey

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mujkien's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective

4.0

gemmaclark14's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Essential reading, written by an author who has undergone IVF, experienced miscarriages, had children, and is also a pro-choice midwife. This book debunks a lot of anti-choice nonsense and is incredibly nuanced and complex. Carey has cared for women who have been abused and trafficked, girls who haven't understood what was happening to them, trans men, imprisoned women, heartbroken women whose pregnancies are nonviable, and empowered women simply making a choice. Abortion is needed by all kinds of people for various reasons.

Contrary to anti-choice propaganda, midwives ensure they speak to patients alone to ensure the choice is truly theirs.

She recalls asking a woman to come in for an in-person consultation during Covid due to concerns about coercion and even having to refuse abortion care to someone who was too mentally unwell to give informed consent at the time.

She discusses the problems with paid anti-abortion protesters, who thrust inaccurate leaflets into vulnerable people's hands, and recalls asking them exactly what 'help' they are offering - nappies and church groups. She also recounts them also engaging in very strange behavior such as praying over bins full of normal (non-clinical) waste.

A fascinating read from an expert in her field. I wish all medical professionals working with pregnant individuals would read this book.

juliadejong's review

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5.0

The book was excellent but also Juno sounds like the absolute best, kindest person!!

cele3222's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective

5.0

I picked this book up because although I'm strongly pro choice , abortion felt difficult to really look at. I shyed away from the reality of what abortion involves, which sometimes can be hard to look at directly, because it can be a difficult decision, blood is lost, potential life is no longer, it can be a very big deal to make the decision to have an abortion, its shrouded in shame. But because I'm so strongly pro-choice, I felt I should look directly at the issue, at what was scaring me about it, and examine at my own hesitations around it. I thought the book was great, it did not shy away from the difficulties of abortion, it told real human stories, and helped show why even though it is a difficult thing, it is so necessary to protect empower pregnant peoples lives now.
Juno balanced well showing her personal emotional experiences, as well as explaining the facts and reasoning with logic. She shows the complexity of the issue and has helped me to face up to the difficult reality of abortion, and feel even more so that this is a reason why we should protect abortion rights and empower choice.
It was a very accessible read which is great for such a difficult topic, deeply human, and made sure to highlight the fragility of reproductive rights in the UK - abortion is not decriminalised, women are being taken to trial over their abortions in the past couple of years, it's all very scary and important to realise how fragile our right to abortion is in the UK and how little the people in power seem to either do or care about it.
It's continually depressing and scary to see and hear about the underfunding and unsustainability of the NHS, to think that access to safe, quick, free, reliable healthcare is fading away fast, if we need urgent medical care - whether in pregnancy, abortion or anything else, its no longer guaranteed in the UK. At no fault at all of the NHS workers who are being worked to the bone and burning out, trying their best with the education they receive to treat their patients, juno showed this well.
Im writing a longer review because of other negative reviews ive read for this book on this page, I don't think they were fair or right, and to put it down feels like an attack on her message. (So, Frick you.)