Let’s be honest: We’ve been losing the battle for abortion rights for decades. Ever since the Roe v. Wade decision made abortion safe and legal in 1973, anti-abortion advocates have been chipping away at it in earnest. Some states now only have one abortion provider—in some parts of the country, a woman has to travel more than a thousand miles to reach the nearest abortion clinic. Funding for women’s health services has been under attack from Republicans over the last decade; assistance for women who want, but can’t afford, an abortion has been ruthlessly targeted by activist religious groups to ensure no government funds are involved. Every year since Roe v. Wade has delivered victories for anti-abortion demagogues across the United States, and the only victories for pro-choice politicians come when they manage to stave off anti-abortion forces for another year.
That’s why Katha Pollitt’s Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights (Picador, $25) is such an important book. In a little more than 200 pages, Pollitt has crafted a full-throated and convincing case to galvanize pro-choice voters and organizations against the erosion of abortion rights. It’s a shield against concern trolls who cloak their anti-abortion laws in spurious faux sympathy for the safety of women, a sword to use when some politician cites a bogus study to promote another regressive law…
Katha Pollitt will be reading at Town Hall on Wednesday, October 22. Click here for more info!