Aftermath: Life in Post-Roe America

by Elizabeth G. Hines

Overview

After nearly fifty years as settled constitutional law, the federally protected right to an abortion in America is now a thing of the past. The Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade has left Americans without a guaranteed right to access abortion―and the cost of that upheaval will be most painfully felt by individuals who already struggle with access to resources: the poor, Black and brown communities, and members of the LGBTQIA+ population.

Pulling together the experiences, expertise, and perspectives of more than 30 writers, thinkers, and activists, Aftermath: Life in Post-Roe America offers a searing look at the critical role Roe has played in improving women’s and pregnant people’s lives, what a future without Roe may look like, and what options exist for us to secure reproductive freedom in the future. With contributions from Jessica Valenti, Soraya Chemaly, Michele Goodwin, Alyssa Milano, Ruby Sales, Heather Cox Richardson, Robin Marty, Linda Villarosa, Jennifer Baumgardner and more, this anthology is essential reading for anyone who cares about the future of reproductive rights in America―and beyond.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781647426019
Publisher:	She Writes Press
Publication date:	10/11/2022
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Elizabeth G. Hines is an author, editor, and strategic communications specialist. Her work has appeared in numerous online publications, and along with her mother, Carol Jenkins, she is the co-author of the best-selling biography, Black Titan: A. G. Gaston and the Making of a Black American Millionaire, winner of a 2004 Non-Fiction Book Honor from the American Library Association. Hines holds a BA from Yale College and conducted her graduate studies at Harvard University. She lives in New York City.

Table of Contents

Introduction Elizabeth G. Hines xiii

Raising a Daughter in a Post-Roe World Jessica Valenti 1

My First Abortion Story Alyson Palmer 5

Controlling Bodies and Subverting Democracy: How Dobbs Is an Attack on Us All The Reverend Dr. Liz Theoharis 11

As Goes Mississippi, So Goes America Linda Villarosa 21

So They All Just Lied? Heather Cox Richardson 27

Biden Must Do More to Protect Abortion Rights Alyssa Milano 33

The Abortion Stories We Didn't Tell: How Decades of Silence Left Us Unprepared for the Yost-Roe Fight Rebecca Traister 37

Get Real Jennifer Baumgardner 45

Our Body Is Our Own Ruby Sales 53

Facing Higher Teen Pregnancy and Maternal Mortality Rates, Black Women Will Largely Bear the Brunt of Abortion Limits Cecilia Lenzen 60

"Roe Was the Floor" A Q&A with Elizabeth Estrada, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice 68

How the Supreme Court Decision Limiting Abortion Access Will Harm the Economy and Women's Financial Well-being Michele Estrin Gilman 77

To Imagine a World without Roe, Look to Kentucky April Simpson Melissa Hellmann 82

Society Makes a Choke Before Any of Us Can Soraya Chemaly 89

No, Justice Alito, Reproductive Justice Is in the Constitution Michele Goodwin 95

Reproductive Justice Advocates Can't Afford to Ignore How Abortion Bans Affect Asian Americans Jenn Fang 101

Abortion Is a Disability Issue Robyn Powell 110

Collateral Damage Ann Craig 116

For Indigenous Peoples, Abortion Is a Religious Right Abaki Beck Rosalyn Lapier 126

Not All Religious People Oppose Abortion Sarah Seltzer 131

The Beautiful Scream Lisa Sharon Harper 136

"Every Single One of Them Responded in Tears" A Q&A with Robin Marty, West Alabama Women's Center 142

Clinic Alissa Quart 152

My Trip to Texas Gave Me a Glimpse Into the Post-Roe Future Rosa Valderrama 157

The Privilege of Hope: Working in Partnership with Young People Tamara Marzouk 162

A Letter to My Mother (and Like-Minded Individuals) Mina Row 167

My Daughter's First Pro-Choice Protest Rob Galvin 171

Rewriting the Rules: A Pharmacist's Fight to Make Medication Abortion Accessible to All Dr. Jessica Nouhavandi 175

A Black Abortion Provider's Perspective on Post-Roe America Bria Peacock, MD 180

For the Patients Cordelia Orbach 184

"No Amount of Preparation Could Have Minimized the Devastation" A Q&A with Margaret Chapman Pomponio, WV Free 189

Abuse, Discrimination, Exclusion: Transgender Men Explain Domino Effect of Losing Reproductive Care Post-Roe Orion Rummler 198

My Story Amy Ferris 204

Pushing Back on the Politics of Hypocrisy Sonali Kolhatkar 208

Is Violence the Last Gasp of Patriarchy? Gloria Feldt 213

We Need a Post-Roe Strategy for the Long Haul. Global Feminists Offer a Blueprint Yifat Susskind 218

6 Ways to Fight for Abortion Rights After Roe Katha Pollitt 223

Girding Our Loins: A Spiritual Survival Guide for the Battle Ahead Chaplain Lizzie Berne DeGear, PhD 229

How to Help 237

Acknowledgments 238

About the Editor 241

Editorial Reviews

Freedom begins with the ability to make decisions about our own lives, and for women, there is no decision more intimate or crucial to our health than the decision of whether or not to give birth. The huge majority of Americans agree, and in the aftermath of Roe, the consequence of allowing states to suppress this right will be a new American revolution. This book is a much-needed testimony to this moment and a call to understanding that reproductive freedom is as basic as freedom of speech.”

—Gloria Steinem, author and activist     

“May this diverse, brilliant powerful gathering of some of our finest feminist voices and stories, inspire you to tell your story, raise your voice and fight with your life for our bodily autonomy and reproductive justice for all.” 

—V (formerly Eve Ensler), playwright, author, and activist   

“This incisive collection of essays offers diverse and necessary insights into how the loss of Roe v. Wade will impact the lives of pregnant people in America. The writers featured in Aftermath provide a vision of the new reality too many Americans will be forced to confront. This is essential reading for post-Roe America.”   

—Reshma Saujani, founder & CEO, Marshall Plan for Moms, and founder of Girls Who Code   

“A woman’s right to decide when she’ll bear children is critical to her success in the workplace and beyond. The stories in Aftermath bear witness to women’s turmoil before Roe v. Wade and highlight how central reproductive freedom has been to unleashing our potential over the last fifty years. Read these stories, share them, and commit yourself to building an equitable world.” 

—Tiffany Dufu, founder & CEO, The Cru, and author of Drop the Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less

From the Publisher