Abortion

Starred review from August 12, 2024
Valenti (Sex Objects) draws on her post-Roe-era newsletter Abortion, Every Day—where she has been “tracking every ban, court case, and anti-abortion strategy” in the U.S.—to create this clarifying and incandescent affirmation of not only the importance of abortion rights but their status as a winning issue at the ballot box. Aiming to “arm the choir” with facts and figures to counter right-wing talking points and encourage Democrats to “get out of defensive crouch” on the issue, Valenti marshals persuasive evidence that Americans are overwhelmingly pro-abortion (“following the fall of Roe... abortion rights won every single time” they were put to the ballot, “even in states like Kansas and Kentucky”). Her close observations of nationwide developments also give her keen insight into slippery Republican election strategies: Valenti describes how opponents of recent Michigan and Ohio ballot measures ensuring children could get abortions without parental consent, having realized abortion restriction was unpopular, instead deployed irrelevant anti-trans ads, hoping to find another means to stoke parental fears of losing the ability to control their children’s bodies. She points out that children seem to be the “canary in the coalmine” for abortion rights, as kids’ access to abortion is being tightened around the country (“In Florida in 2022... judges were approving fewer abortions for teens. One young woman was told... poor grades were proof that she wasn’t mature enough”). This is a critical resource for the coming election season.

Starred review from September 15, 2024
The history of abortion in post-Roe America. Valenti, a prominent feminist author and creator of the newsletterAbortion, Every Day, begins her trenchant analysis of one of America's most controversial political topics by voicing her visceral anger and resentment for having to write a book to defend women's right to choose: "Women should not have to convince the world that we are full people worthy of rights, protections, and the ability to control our own bodies." Drawing from research and analysis published in the newsletter, she also tracks abortion news and tells individuals' stories to shine further light on the subject. For example, Marilyn Lands won a seat in the Alabama House after running a pro-choice ad of a woman having to travel 10 hours out of state to obtain a safe abortion. Lands noted that when she had been in a similar situation years earlier, she was able to get the assistance she needed close to home. Emphasizing the point that many women and girls no longer have access to safe abortions, Lands' story is just one of many Valenti uses to illustrate how far America's political landscape has devolved since theDobbs decision, putting women in distress throughout the nation. Additionally, she cuts through widely spread misinformation about birth control, such as that in videos claiming that the Pill changes women's "natural" body rhythms. Ending with a section of resources and tips for how to talk about abortion with different groups of people, she sets up women to successfully and succinctly argue for their rights and freedoms. A call to action for both inexperienced and seasoned pro-choice activists.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from October 1, 2024
Through careful reporting, this book asks, "What does America look like without nationwide legal access to abortion?" Valenti's (Believe Me, 2020) answer is a portrait of dying patients, fearful communities, and massive suffering already taking place in states with restrictive reproductive laws. Most Americans, regardless of political affiliation, don't want pregnancy regulated by the government, but antiabortion policy has driven health-care providers, fearful of prosecution and violence, out of states with laws in place, leaving pregnant people in wide swaths of the country without medical care. These laws disproportionately affect children, the poor, and communities of color. The antiabortion efforts in the U.S. also seek to restrict birth control--again, completely against the wishes of most voters. Valenti's book is well-researched and cited and includes a glossary of common topics and terms related to reproductive rights, which readers will appreciate for quick use in further conversation. Valenti has been writing about reproductive justice for two decades and has no intention of stopping now, as our national freedom declines. Clear that there is an urgent need to be specific about the consequences of antiabortion legal decisions as they unfold across the country, she addresses that need in this timely book.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.