Bodies on the Line
At the Front Lines of the Fight to Protect Abortion in America
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
As the courts betray us and our leaders fail us, only we can keep each other safe.
In this powerful, empathetic look at abortion clinic escorting, “one of the most under-covered and crucial, lifesaving, rigorous forms of activism out there” (Rebecca Traister), Lauren Rankin offers real hope—and a real call to action for a post-Roe America.
Incisive and eye-opening, Bodies on the Line makes a clear case that the right to an abortion is a fundamental part of human dignity. And now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v Wade, the stakes facing us all if that right disappears have never been higher.
Clinic escorts—everyday volunteers who shepherd patients safely inside to receive care—are fighting on the front lines by replacing hostility with humanity. Prepared to stand up and protect abortion access as they have for decades, even in the face of terrorism and violence, clinic escorts live—and have even died—to ensure that abortion remains not only accessible but a basic human right. Their stories have never been told—until now.
With precision and passion, Lauren Rankin traces the history and evolution of this movement to tell a broader story of the persistent threats to safe and legal abortion access, and the power of individuals to stand up and fight back. Deeply researched, featuring interviews with clinic staff, patients, experts, and activists—plus the author’s own experience as a clinic escort—Bodies on the Line reframes the “abortion wars,” highlighting the power of people to effect change amid unimaginable obstacles, and the unprecedented urgency of channeling that power.
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Abortion rights activist Rankin debuts with a powerful tribute to abortion clinic escorts, who help women access the healthcare they seek despite harassment, threats of violence, and legal barriers. Drawing on her own experiences as a volunteer clinic escort in New Jersey and interviews with activists and clinic staff, Rankin describes how the anti-abortion movement in the U.S. became increasingly hostile in the years after 1973, when the Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide in Roe v. Wade. She documents instances of extremist violence by anti-abortion activists in the 1980s and '90s, including bombings and burnings of abortion clinics and assassinations of abortion providers, and contends that local police often sympathize with anti-abortion protestors and fail to enforce laws meant to prevent the harassment of patients and staff. Rankin also notes that as various states have passed more restrictions on abortion, the number of clinics has plunged (currently, only 10% of U.S. counties have one), leading pro-choice activists to set up networks to help patients who must travel long distances and go through extended waiting periods with transportation, information, and accommodations. Lucidly written and sharply argued, this is a sobering and timely dispatch from the fight to preserve abortion rights.
