A review by karimorton33
Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights by Katha Pollitt

5.0

This book is aimed towards the "muddled middle", those that don't believe abortion should be totally illegal, but who don't think it should be widely available or legal in all circumstances. There are discrepancies between what they think they think and what they actually think, and the author urges them to reflect on that. The anti-abortion movement is very vocal, so the author is hoping that the muddled middle will join the pro-choice side of things to help stop the abortion restrictions that are happening, making it much harder for women to get abortions. It seems those that are anti-abortion are also anti-women, as they don't want women to be able to get abortions, but they are also against practices that are shown to lower the abortion rate, like birth control and proper sex education. They also don't want programs in place to help women with children like access to affordable healthcare and daycare. For that reason, I appreciate that Katha Pollitt did not use the term "pro-life" but uses some variation of "anti-abortion", as these people are anything but pro-life. A well researched, compelling read!

A few early quotes that stood out to me (there were so many more throughout the book):
- Abortion, wrote Willis, is an act of self-defense. Perhaps we don't see abortion that way because we don't think women have the right to a self. They are supposed to live for others.
- The anti-abortion movement, however, is not just about the "unborn." It is also a protest against women's growing freedom and power, including their sexual freedom and power.