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A vital and galvanizing history of abortion and how its stigma is intrinsically connected to racism and systemic oppression, told from the viewpoint of people of color, focusing on their experiences with the American health care system and the injustices they have suffered. For far too long, the narrative around reproductive rights has excluded the experiences of people of color--the majority of abortion patients. Instead, language has been weaponized to to terrify and manipulate rather than support. Many people of color who have had or considered an abortion have lacked two essential resources: back-to-basics sex education and knowledge of other Black women''s personal experiences managing their reproductive rights. Many of us weren''t taught the birds and the bees in medically accurate, sex-positive ways. Liberating Abortion reveals how lawmakers have used restrictions on abortion to bar people of color from wielding their power and controlling their bodies and lives--relegating them to poverty and perpetuating racist and xenophobic stereotypes. To envision a new, more encompassing future centered in reproductive justice, award-winning reproductive rights activist Renee Bracey Sherman and journalist Regina Mahone talk in-depth with a variety of Black women about building a world where women can choose to have safe and healthy pregnancies on our own terms, as well as pleasurable sex that affirms our bodies and beings. As two Black women who have had abortions and have experienced the anti-Blackness of the so-called "pro-life" movement, they have crafted a book that truly reflects their decision-making, and that of other people of color who have abortions, offering an entirely different viewpoint that invites those who are most often silenced to speak. Offering support and affirmation to women who''ve had abortions but have been too afraid or ashamed to speak openly, the authors remind us that the stigma we feel, often perpetuated by the media, is by design. This is a book for young people of color who will have abortions and believe they''re alone--as we once did. This is the book we wish we''d had. And this is a book for all who wonder where to stand in the ongoing debate around reproductive freedom. ...
About the author
Renee Bracey Sherman is a reproductive justice activist, abortion storyteller, and writer. She is the founder and co–executive director of We Testify, executive producer of the award-winning documentary Ours to Tell, and cohost of the podcast The A Files: A Secret History of Abortion. In 2022, she made history as the first person to testify to the self-managed abortion protocol before Congress. She lives in Washington, DC.
Regina Mahone is a writer and editor whose work explores the intersections between race, class, and reproductive rights. She is a senior editor at The Nation magazine, where she runs the monthly Repro Nation newsletter, and cohost of the podcast The A Files: A Secret History of Abortion. She lives in New Jersey with her partner and two children.
Summary
“A gift to future generations.”—Cecile Richards, author of Make Trouble
“Our storytellers meet the moment with powerful insight and testimonials.”—Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley
A galvanizing history of abortion recentering people of color to put forth a timely argument that we must liberate abortion for all.
People of color have been having abortions since the dawn of time, yet our access is continuously under attack. In Liberating Abortion, award-winning abortion activist Renee Bracey Sherman and journalist Regina Mahone illustrate the long racist history that brought us to this moment, uncover the hidden figures who set the foundation that activists and storytellers are building on today, and explain how abortion has been and remains essential to the health of our communities.
Liberating Abortion will take you back to the basics of sex education, detailing the traditions of abortion over centuries while examining how society makes us feel about our experiences. You’ll find rigorous research, never-before-heard stories, and eye-opening interviews with more than fifty people of color who’ve had abortions, including activists, actresses, television writers, politicians, and two Black members of Jane, the Chicago feminist service that provided abortions before Roe.
With poignant storytelling and precise analysis, Liberating Abortion will change how you think about abortion forever.
