Before turning to the Roe v. Wade court case, this narrative examines the history of attitudes and actions around reproductive health care in this country. Early chapters note that women provided reproductive health care for one another for centuries before chronicling the first restrictions to abortion in the United States in the mid-1800s, advances in reproductive health care advocated by Margaret Sanger, and the Clergy Consultation Services on Abortion that began in New York and spread to other cities in the 1960s, helping women access abortion services. At the time of Roe v. Wade, abortion regulations were vague, restrictive and patronizing, making abortion most difficult to obtain for women who didn't have economic resources or connections to the men on hospital panels who "approved" abortion requests. The Roe v. Wade court case is chronicled in fascinating detail, including the Supreme Court trial (Roe lawyer Sarah Weddington was only 26) and the Supreme Court discussion, which is full of its own drama. The legal content here is admirably accessible, while the author makes sure to address racism and reproductive rights, from Sanger's connection to the eugenics movement, to incidences of forced sterilization of African American and Indigenous women, to ongoing barriers to abortion today. The increased polarization around abortion -and violence against abortion providers-in the aftermath of Roe V. Wade is the final section of this thoroughly researched, timely and compelling history. (Age 12 and older)

A riveting look at the tumultuous history of abortion rights in the United States leading up to the landmark case of Roe v. Wade, by award-winning author and journalist Karen Blumenthal.

Tracing the path to the 19th century to the pivotal decision in Roe v. Wade and the continuing battle for women's rights, Blumenthal examines, in a straightforward tone, the root causes of the current debate around abortion and its repercussions that have rippled through generations of American women.

This urgent book is the perfect tool to facilitate discussion and awareness of a topic that affects each and every person in the United States.