My Body My Choice: The Fight for Abortion Rights

by Robin Stevenson

Overview

★“Required reading for teens of every gender.”—Booklist, starred review

Abortion is one of the most common of all medical procedures. But it is still stigmatized,  and all too often people do not feel they can talk about their experiences.

Making abortion illegal or hard to access doesn't make it any less common; it just makes it dangerous. Around the world, tens of thousands of women die from unsafe abortions every year.

People who support abortion rights have been fighting hard to create a world in which the right to access safe and legal abortion services is guaranteed. The opposition to this has been intense and sometimes violent, and victories have been hard won.

The long fight for abortion rights is being picked up by a new generation of courageous, creative and passionate activists. This book is about the history, and the future, of that fight.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459817128
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	05/07/2019
Series:	Orca Issues Series , #2
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	1,116,789
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.68(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Robin Stevenson is the author of more than twenty-five books for kids and teens, including The Summer We Saved the Bees and Pride Colors. The first edition of her nonfiction book Pride: Celebrating Diversity & Community (2016) won a Stonewall Honor and was shortlisted for numerous other awards. Robin lives in Victoria, British Columbia.

Table of Contents

Introduction
What Is an Abortion?
Who Has Abortions?

Chapter One: Looking Back: The History of Abortion

• Racism and Population Control
• The Criminalization of Abortion
• The Illegal-Abortion Era
• Fighting for Change

Chapter Two: Fighting for Choice

• The Fight for Legal Abortion in the United States
• Fighting for Choice in Canada

Chapter Three: Abortion Under Attack

• Violence and Harassment
• Restrictions to Access in the United States
• Anti-Abortion Propaganda
• Choice and the Church
• Reproductive Rights and the Trump–Pence Administration

Chapter Four: Fighting for Safe Abortion Around the World

• Abortion Pills
• Global Impact of us Policy
• Fighting for Abortion Rights in Ireland
• Women’s Strike in Poland
• Women on Waves
• Women on Web
• Behind the Scenes: Working For Social Change

Chapter Five: The Way Forward: Stories from the Front Lines

• Moving from Choice to Reproductive Justice
• Improving Access for All: Diversity and Abortion Services
• Grassroots Activism
• Using Social Media to Fight Abortion Stigma
• The Real Experts: Listening to People Who Have Had Abortions

AUTHOR'S NOTE
GLOSSARY
RESOURCES
REFERENCES
PHOTO CREDITS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INDEX

Editorial Reviews

"A magnificent and thoughtful examination of the fight for abortion rights in Canada, the United States, and around the world. Through often untold histories, My Body My Choice details tactics activists employed to fight for abortion rights, explains how race and class are barriers to access—historically and today—and the impact youth activists are making today. My Body My Choice also explains the basics of reproductive health in an affirming, non-stigmatizing, and digestible way for young readers. My Body My Choice is the book I wish I had as a teen, before, during, and after my abortion. I know I would have felt less alone and more empowered with it in hand."

Renee Bracey Sherman

"I would have been a much wiser person had I been able to read this book twenty-five years ago. Robin Stevenson conveys the reality of abortion and the true stories of people—all kinds of people— who have them. In sharing the inspiring history of the fight for abortion rights, she makes it clear how much those rights matter."

National Magazine Award–nominated writer and Kerry Clare

"For a heavy topic, the book is both arrestingly visual and dynamic in tone…Thoroughly researched and thought provoking, offering in-depth information balanced with first-person accounts, including stories of women who have had abortions themselves."

Quill & Quire

Both a history and a call to action. Combining text, images, quotes, maps, charts, and more into an engaging package...Useful information and inspiration.

Mombian blog

★ "Exceptional entry in the Orca Issues series…With impeccable research, statistics, a resource list, and thorough source notes, this illuminating resource should be required reading for teens of every gender."

starred review Booklist

As fascinating as it is significant…Readers will finish this book with a broad comprehension of what abortion means and why it matters…My Body My Choice needs to be in every secondary school library and every teen section across the country…But young people need good information, and young people who care about their futures need to understand this history. Highly recommended.

Resource Links

"Guaranteed to prompt much-needed conversations and discussions and, along with pro-life materials, should be available in libraries and schools across the country so that students have informed access to the abortion debate. Highly Recommended."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

For people who are new to reproductive activism, this is an excellent place to begin reading.

Bustle

★ "Exceptional entry in the Orca Issues series…With impeccable research, statistics, a resource list, and thorough source notes, this illuminating resource should be required reading for teens of every gender."

Booklist—starred review

04/01/2019

Gr 7 Up—While one in four women in North America has an abortion by age 45, there is still an immense stigma around this usually low-risk medical procedure. This text explains why stigma still exists as well as the past, present, and future of abortion rights worldwide. This guide first discusses what abortions are and the types usually performed. Stevenson then delves into the history of abortion, and the fight for abortion rights in North America and across the globe. Following this breakdown, the writer explains how and why abortion rights have been fought against, followed by highlighting medical professionals and students who have supported the right to choose, abortion myths and facts, and the religious community's and government's impact on reproductive rights. More importantly, readers learn how racist and sexist attitudes and laws still unfairly impact an individual's right and ability to obtain birth control or have a safe abortion. The guide concludes with personal stories of individuals who have had abortions and addresses that there are communities often left out of the conversation. Readers will appreciate and find value in the colorful photographs and illustrations, quotes, and comics provided and will finish the guide feeling empowered. Youth will be armed with concrete tips and advice on how they can help fight against abortion stigma and support their right and others' right to make this important decision for themselves. VERDICT This comprehensive, empowering, and accessible resource will be of great use to teens interested in learning more about reproductive rights either for school or for personal knowledge.—Jess Gafkowitz, Brooklyn Public Library

School Library Journal

★ 2019-01-23

A nonfiction book about reproductive justice focusing primarily on the U.S. and Canada.

Stevenson's (Pride, 2016, etc.) stated goal in writing this book was to spark conversation and destigmatize this common medical procedure. The introduction makes the work's abortion-rights stance clear: Medical abortion is 10 times safer than childbirth, and without legal abortion, women die from unsafe ones. Chapter 1 provides historical context for the criminalization of abortion and contraception in the U.S., linking it directly to racism and white supremacy. This sets the stage for the fight for legal abortion in the U.S. and Canada, which is discussed at length in Chapter 2. Subsequent chapters focus on a range of topics related to attacks on abortion rights in the U.S. and Canada, challenges to abortion access globally, and key issues surrounding racial justice, trans inclusion, and concerns of the disability rights community. Each chapter includes information about activists, with young people featured in the last chapter. The book is visually appealing, with bold design that includes photos, cartoons, sidebar quotes, and maps in eye-popping full color. Minor quibble: Many photos are undated.

Well-researched and visually appealing, this is a boon for those seeking clear, comprehensive information from the perspective of the reproductive rights movement. (author's note, glossary, resources, references, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews

"Guaranteed to prompt much-needed conversations and discussions and, along with pro-life materials, should be available in libraries and schools across the country so that students have informed access to the abortion debate. Highly Recommended."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

★ "Exceptional entry in the Orca Issues series…With impeccable research, statistics, a resource list, and thorough source notes, this illuminating resource should be required reading for teens of every gender."

Booklist - starred review

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