Controlling Women
What We Must Do Now to Save Reproductive Freedom
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
From two lawyers at the forefront of the reproductive rights movement, this fully updated book shares bold strategies meant to help restore and expand reproductive and sexual rights.
Reproductive freedom has never been in more dire straits. Roe v. Wade protected abortion rights and Planned Parenthood v. Casey unexpectedly preserved them. Yet in the following decades these rights have been gutted by restrictive state legislation, the appointment of hundreds of anti-abortion judges, and violence against abortion providers. Today, the ultra-conservative majority at the Supreme Court has overturned our most fundamental reproductive protections.
With Roe toppled, abortion is now a criminal offense in nearly one-third of the United States. At least six states have enacted bans on abortion as early as six weeks of pregnancy—before many women are even aware they are pregnant. Today, 89% of U.S. counties do not have a single abortion provider, in part due to escalating violence and intimidation aimed at disrupting services. We should all be free to make these personal and private decisions that affect our lives and wellbeing without government interference or bias, but we can no longer depend on Roe v. Wade and the federal courts to preserve our liberties.
Legal titans Kathryn Kolbert and Julie F. Kay share the story of one of the most divisive issues in American politics through behind-the-scenes personal narratives of stunning losses, hard-earned victories, and moving accounts of women and health care providers at the heart of nearly five decades of legal battles. Kolbert and Kay propose audacious new strategies inspired by medical advances, state-level protections, human rights models, and activists across the globe whose courage and determination are making a difference.
No more banging our heads against the Court’s marble walls. It is time for a new direction.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In light of the threat that the Supreme Court's new "ultra-conservative majority" poses to Roe v. Wade, attorneys Kolbert, who cofounded the Center for Reproductive Rights, and Kay, who argued against Ireland's total ban on abortion at the European Court of Human Rights, make a powerful case for rethinking the legal and political strategies "for gaining equal access to a wider range of reproductive freedoms." The authors discuss their work on key cases including Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), describe the targeting of state laws that restrict abortion access as legal "whack-a-mole," and note that 10 state legislatures have already passed "trigger laws" that will effectively ban abortion if and when Roe is overturned. They propose a set of ambitious legislative tactics to replace the rallying cry of "save Roe," including a Gender Equity Amendment to the U.S. Constitution; the repeal of the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for abortion services; and an explicit shield against criminal liability for women who have abortions. Kolbert and Kay also call on activists and policymakers to widen the reproductive rights agenda to include affordable childcare, reducing maternal and infant mortality rates, and improved sex education. This impassioned and well-argued rallying cry rings loud and clear.
