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Published Oct 2014
272 pages
Genre: History, Current Affairs and Religion
Publication Information
Forty years after the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, "abortion" is still a word that is said with outright hostility by many, despite the fact that one in three American women will have terminated at least one pregnancy by menopause. Even those who support a woman's right to an abortion often qualify their support by saying abortion is a "bad thing," an "agonizing decision," making the medical procedure so remote and radioactive that it takes it out of the world of the everyday, turning an act that is normal and necessary into something shameful and secretive. Meanwhile, with each passing day, the rights upheld by the Supreme Court are being systematically eroded by state laws designed to end abortion outright.
In this urgent, controversial book, Katha Pollitt reframes abortion as a common part of a woman's reproductive life, one that should be accepted as a moral right with positive social implications. In Pro, Pollitt takes on the personhood argument, reaffirms the priority of a woman's life and health, and discusses why terminating a pregnancy can be a force for good for women, families, and society. It is time, Pollitt argues, that we reclaim the lives and the rights of women and mothers.
"Starred Review. In this powerful pro-choice treatise, Pollitt, the well-known feminist, poet, and award-winning columnist for the Nation, expertly lays out why she supports a woman's right to decide whether to end a pregnancy." - Booklist
"Starred Review. With arguments that are both lucid and sensible, Pollitt successfully reframes the abortion debate to show that, "in the end, abortion is an issue of fundamental human rights." - Publishers Weekly
"Although the 'muddled middle' may not welcome the ascription, pro-choice advocates will find Pollitt's summation helpful in recruitment." - Library Journal
"Pollitt's cogent opinion presents potent testimony on a woman's right to choose." - Kirkus
This information about Pro was first featured
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Katha Pollitt, the author of Virginity or Death!, is a poet, essayist, and columnist for The Nation. She has won many prizes and awards for her work, including the National Book Critics Award for her first collection of poems, Antarctic Traveler, and two National Magazine Awards for Essays and Criticism. She lives in New York City.
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