Beckwith, Francis J.  Defending life: a moral and legal case against abortion choice.  Cambridge, 2007.  296p bibl index; ISBN 9780521870849, $75.00; ISBN 9780521691352  pbk, $22.99. Reviewed in 2008feb CHOICE.
45-3462  HQ767  2006-101329 CIP 
 
Arguing that moral relativism has stunted moral discourse, Beckwith (philosophy, Baylor) provides the moral and legal case against abortion choice. Beckwith examines Roe v. Wade in detail, and concludes that it is riddled with loopholes and ambiguity. He refutes Blackmun’s reasoning for rejecting the unborn as persons and offers an extensive critique of Judith Jarvis Thomson’s arguments for legalized abortion. The author challenges popular pro-choice arguments, including those pointing to the dangers of illegal abortions, the social inequity of poor women not being able to travel to foreign countries to obtain an abortion, the financial burden of having a child, the problem of unwanted children and child abuse, requiring pregnancy to term in cases of rape or incest or as interfering with one’s career, and prosecuting women for murder if abortion is made illegal. He rejects pro-choice arguments based on tolerance, including those advocating religious pluralism, avoiding the imposition of morality, requiring compulsory pregnancy, and permitting women’s privacy and bodily integrity. Beckwith concludes by arguing that an unborn entity is a full-fledged member of society, hence every successful abortion kills a human being and community member, and that abortion is on its face simply wrong. Summing Up: Recommended. Comprehensive collections. All readership levels. — R. A. Strickland, Appalachian State University 

Before Roe v. Wade: voices that shaped the abortion debate before the Supreme Court’s ruling, ed. by Linda Greenhouse and Reva Siegel.  Kaplan, 2010.  335p bibl index ISBN 1-60714-671-1, $26.00; ISBN 9781607146711, $26.00.  Outstanding Title! Reviewed in 2011apr CHOICE.
48-4233  KF228   MARC 

For those who were part of the 1960s and 1970s, the editors have captured the essence of society at the time in this book that reminds readers of the challenging conditions women faced. Although both Greenhouse (a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist) and Siegel (Yale Law School) freely admit to being pro-choice, they have managed to present an unbiased, honest look at this coming-of-age era in the history of the US. The research involved in the collection of the numerous documents represented in this work is astounding. Americans who lived through these times will become aware of all the behind-the-scenes work on both sides of the abortion debate that was hinted at but not fully revealed until the publication of this outstanding work. No matter what their personal beliefs, readers will find here a trove of factual information in the form of dozens of primary sources, gathered by two editors who undertook a difficult task. This volume will appeal to general readers who came of age during the 1960s-70s, to those too young to have experienced these decades, and to those with a personal or professional interest in the history of law in the US. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through professionals/practitioners; general readers. — N. J. Goodman, University of Texas-Pan American 

Burns, Gene.  The moral veto: framing contraception, abortion, and cultural pluralism in the United States.  Cambridge, 2005.  340p bibl index ISBN 0-521-55209-5, $70.00; ISBN 0521609844  pbk, $24.99. Reviewed in 2006apr CHOICE.
43-4732  HN90  2005-120 CIP 

Sociologist Burns (James Madison College, Michigan State Univ.) brings together history, understanding of culture, linguistics, economics, sociological theory, and political science to provide an understanding of debates about contraception and abortion prior to Roe v. Wade and subsequent to that Supreme Court ruling. Burns uses the concepts of frames–bridging frames that enable people to “see the other side” and, though they may not agree, come to a common orientation–to provide a significant addition to an understanding of how groups with differing perceptions are brought together to share a common definition of a situation despite a difference in group orientations. Frames limit but also extend moral vision by widening discussion between groups displaying different perceptions of “the good.” Chapters consider contraception and abortion within a medical, humanitarian frame, unsuccessful frames, legislative stalemates, and the notion that cultural pluralism cannot be forced but can be facilitated. A recent New York Times Magazine article, “The Framing Wars” (July 17, 2005, p. 38), explores the politics and language work of linguist Gene Lakoff and his politically oriented brief volume Don’t Think of an Elephant! (2004), suggesting the importance of frame analysis in current linguistic and social science discourse. Burns contributes significantly to this discourse, and his volume deserves a prominent place in the framing discussion. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Most levels/libraries. — L. Braude, formerly, SUNY Fredonia 

Cline, David P.  Creating choice: a community responds to the need for abortion and birth control, 1961-1973.  Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.  290p bibl index ISBN 1-4039-6813-6, $69.95; ISBN 1403968144  pbk, $23.95. Reviewed in 2007jan CHOICE.
44-2977  HQ766  2005-47593 CIP 

Cline’s book of edited oral histories grew out of a collaborative oral history project by Western Massachusetts academic and community women to celebrate 30 years of feminist and lesbian history in this socially conservative region. The book’s title embodies its two major and contradictory themes: that while there was a geographical “community” and some individuals who networked the groups and individuals, the groups worked largely in isolation from one another because of the need for secrecy; and although almost all of those interviewed emphasized empowering women by giving them greater “choice,” most attention and activity focused on gaining access to safe abortions. Others have published women’s stories of their pre-Roe v. Wade criminalized abortion experiences. Cline is unique for including interviews with clergy members, doctors, and nurses who worked against the law to help women gain access to birth control and abortion rights. A highly readable book. As one interviewee said, “What I remember most … is how remarkable individual women’s stories were.” Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. — S. S. Arpad, emerita, California State University, Fresno 

Dellapenna, Joseph W.  Dispelling the myths of abortion history.  Carolina Academic, 2006.  1,283p index afp ISBN 0-89089-509-0, $95.00. Reviewed in 2006nov CHOICE.
44-1593  KF3771  2005-15243 CIP 

Within traditional legal analysis, when a claim is made to a right that is not expressed in the text of the US Constitution (e.g., women’s right to abortion), judges turn for guidance to the history and tradition of the practice. In this way, historians can influence judicial decision making. In this behemoth of a work, Dellapenna (Villanova Univ.) challenges what he terms “the new orthodox history of abortion” as constructed by Justice Harry Blackmun in Roe v. Wade, historians like James Mohr and Cyril Means Jr., and feminists like Linda Gordon, Rosalind Petchesky, and Catharine MacKinnon. Specifically, Dellapenna argues against two presumptions: “that abortion was common throughout history; and that … abortion was in fact seldom punished.” He meticulously constructs and presents his refutation in dense chapters written in the style of law review articles. The impressive breadth and depth of this volume recommend it for college collections. Less impressive are the unnecessary swipes Dellapenna takes at other authors, accusing them, for example, of deliberately distorting the facts to promote a pro-choice agenda. Includes a table of cases. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. — S. Behuniak, Le Moyne College 

Dixon-Mueller, Ruth.  Abortion & common sense, by Ruth Dixon-Mueller and Paul K.B. Dagg.  Xlibris, 2002.  298p bibl ISBN 1-4010-5955-4, $28.79; ISBN 1-4010-5956-2; ISBN 1-4010-5954-6  pbk, $18.69.  Outstanding Title! Reviewed in 2003jun CHOICE.
40-5834    Orig 

Dixon-Mueller (formerly, sociology, Univ. of California, Davis) and Dagg (psychiatry, Univ. of Ottawa) have prepared an extremely well organized, very readable, well argued, and well supported resource, with carefully selected quotations, excerpts, or statistics on almost every page, chapter notes, list of pro-choice organizations, and references. The book is divided into two parts–private lives and public settings–then further subdivided into regulating fertility, making the decision, procedure, psychological consequences and myth of regret, law, medical profession, private opinion and public debate, and safe abortion as a global issue. This important and succinct historical review offers factual reporting and balanced perspective on topics that continue to be controversial, confusing, and misrepresented, i.e., contraception, unwanted pregnancy, “abortion pills,” right-to-life of the unborn, Roe v. Wade, “conscience clause,” women’s rights, etc. There is much comparison between policies and practice in the US and Canada, but also coverage of cultural, religious, and health concerns in Asia, Africa, Europe, Central and South America, and Mexico. Summing Up: Essential. All college and university libraries; all levels. — E. R. Paterson, SUNY College at Cortland 

Dubow, Sara.  Ourselves unborn: a history of the fetus in modern America.  Oxford, 2011.  308p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780195323436, $29.95.  Outstanding Title! Reviewed in 2011dec CHOICE.
49-2095  RG600  2010-14000 CIP 

In recent years, the abortion debate all too often has been cast solely in ethical terms. What is the moral status of the fetus? When does personhood begin? Do fetal rights outweigh a woman’s right to self-determination? This well-researched book by Dubow (history, Williams College) offers several important and, to date, absent voices to the debate. It is loaded with legal, sociopolitical, embryological, philosophical, and religious history. The discussion is readily accessible and spans five distinct “eras” in fetal history within the US. This close examination of the multifaceted status of the fetus from the 1870s to the present offers readers a “larger context” in which to examine current questions regarding fetal rights and citizenship. According to the author, “by telling and interpreting stories about the origins, development, and significance of the fetus, people–individually and collectively–have expressed their assumptions and anxieties about personhood, family, motherhood, and national identity.” Extensive notes and bibliographical information make this volume a must read for all interested in the moral and legal status of the fetus. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. — H. Storl, Augustana College (IL) 

Faúndes, Aníbal.  The human drama of abortion: a global search for consensus, by Aníbal Faúndes and José Barzelatto.  Vanderbilt, 2006.  200p bibl index afp ISBN 0-8265-1525-8, $59.95; ISBN 0826515266  pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2007jun CHOICE.
44-5718  HQ767  2005-28168 CIP 

In the heated atmosphere of abortion debates, this book is a coolly dispassionate account. Written by two doctors with personal experience in cleaning up the medical devastation wrought by unsafe abortions and in discussing the science and politics of abortion in international forums, the book offers abundant data about the causes, rates, laws, methods, and consequences of abortion, and the ethical issues and doctrinal positions taken by religions worldwide. Scientific reason confronts unreason; the authors take as simple matters of scientific fact that fetuses are valued and that women are seen as morally responsible persons. Offering evidence that criminalization does not stop abortions, that there are medically meaningful points during pregnancies that allow for different ethical judgments, and that respect for conscience and physical safety are shared values across religious lines, Faúndes (obstetrics, Univ. of Campinas, Brazil) and Barzelatto (vice president, Center for Health and Social Policy) claim that most people will agree on the need to prevent unwanted pregnancies; to enable more women to choose childbirth without ostracism; and to permit safe early abortions when women feel they are necessary. Written accessibly, the book defines its concepts and lays out its evidence well, but whether partisans on either side will be won over by sweet reason alone is doubtful. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. — M. M. Ferree, University of Wisconsin 

Freedman, Lori.  Willing and unable: doctor’s constraints in abortion care.  Vanderbilt, 2010.  186p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780826517159  pbk, $24.95; ISBN 9780826517142, $59.95.  Outstanding Title! Reviewed in 2011feb CHOICE.
48-3310  HQ767  2009-41258 CIP 

Most surveys of applied ethics issues in the US include extensive discussions of the various perspectives surrounding the abortion debate. Since Roe v. Wade (1973), pro-choice positions have based arguments on considerations of the nature of human personhood or on the status of women’s rights to self-determination, while pro-lifers have appealed to species-specific privileges or divine proclamations regarding human status. What has not always been captured is the “living history” of the debate. Freedman (Univ. of California, San Francisco) does just this. This bioethical work offers a sociology of morality as it applies to the abortion debate. Its empirical basis highlights the multilevel structural barriers to abortion practice in the contemporary US. These barriers are not “thin”; they have deep underlying social, political, cultural, psychological, religious, and philosophical underpinnings. Armed with ample case studies and testimonials, Freedman liberates the debate from bias and puts a real face on its costs. A glossary and extensive notes help make this volume a must read for anyone interested in this important issue, especially hospital ethics committees and administrators. Whether pro-choice or pro-life, readers will benefit from the authentic face that Freedman provides for this sociopolitically charged topic. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through professionals/practitioners; general readers. — H. Storl, Augustana College (IL) 

Hull, N.E.H.  Roe v. Wade: the abortion rights controversy in American history, by N.E.H. Hull and Peter Charles Hoffer.  University Press of Kansas, 2001.  315p bibl index afp ISBN 0-7006-1142-8, $35.00; ISBN 0-7006-1143-6  pbk, $15.95. Reviewed in 2002apr CHOICE.
39-4865  KF228  2001-1785 CIP 

There are plenty of books on Roe v. Wade, but this one carves out its own niche. Books specifically on Roe include accounts that are firsthand, journalistic, legalistic, political, empirical, and sociological. There are also countless books that explore various elements of the broader topic of abortion from all sorts of disciplines and offering conflicting perspectives. This volume is a legal-historical study emphasizing that the Roe decision of 1973 does not mark the start of the abortion rights controversy, but rather stands as a landmark event in a controversy with a history that spans this nation’s history. In six chapters Hull (Rutgers Univ., Camden) and Hoffer (Univ. of Georgia) trace how abortion came to be a crime, the impact of the birth control movement, the reform effort during the decade preceding Roe, the Roe decision, the attacks on Roe through the Webster case of 1988, and the impact of the 1992 Casey decision. An epilogue follows the changes during the Clinton years. The analysis is sensitive to women’s history, cultural changes, and the politics of medicine. Following the style of “Landmark Law Cases Series,” a bibliographic essay substitutes for footnotes–making it most appropriate for a general audience and undergraduates. — S. Behuniak, Le Moyne College 

Kaczor, Christopher.  The ethics of abortion: women’s rights, human life, and the question of justice.  Routledge, 2011.  246p bibl index; ISBN 9780415884686, $115.00; ISBN 9780415884693  pbk, $39.95. Reviewed in 2011apr CHOICE.
48-4400  HQ767  2010-18225 CIP 

Kaczor (Loyola Marymount Univ. in Los Angeles) calls in his opening chapter for open-minded conversation on the morality of abortion, and the remainder of the book examines in considerable detail virtually all of the best-known arguments, pro and con. Although the author generally does a good job of laying out the positions he wishes to discuss, readers not already familiar with the literature will find many parts of the book hard to understand; the significance of some of the fine distinctions argued in detail probably will be lost on nonspecialists. The author does a very good job of presenting the rational–as opposed to theological–basis for what amounts to a very traditional Catholic position. Kaczor makes clear his goal to establish that “the vast majority of abortions are morally impermissible,” the only exception apparently being the need to save the life of the mother, and then only if the abortion can be considered “indirect” according to the doctrine of double effect. The text is informative, yet one cannot help but feel that a non-Thomist might approach the same questions and interpret the opposing positions quite differently. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above. — C. D. Kay, Wofford College 

Linton, Paul Benjamin.  Abortion under state constitutions: a state-by-state analysis.  Carolina Academic, 2008.  610p afp; ISBN 9781594606045, $75.00. Reviewed in 2009jul CHOICE.
46-6479  KF3771  2008-28709 CIP 

Since the Supreme Court’s 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade nullified 46 state abortion statutes, both scholarly and general analysis of the constitutional status of abortion rights (and related rights, such as the right to privacy) has focused on the federal level. As Linton reminds the reader, however, both prior and subsequent to Roe, state courts and state constitutions have been relevant to the abortion debate. With the Supreme Court giving increasing leeway to the states to regulate abortion, the role of state courts is becoming more important. Some states provide higher “ceilings” for abortion rights than the current federal “floor,” whereas other state courts are unlikely to find a right for a woman to choose an abortion, should Roe be overruled. Linton provides comprehensive information about abortion under the constitutional frameworks of every state. Not only is every relevant constitutional decision concerning abortion described, but for states where courts have not directly addressed the question, Linton examines the constitutional text and state court opinions for constitutional provisions (such as freedom of religion and rights to privacy) that are potentially relevant. Scholars interested in how state courts have grappled with the question of abortion rights, however, will find this book invaluable. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate, research, and professional collections. — S. Lemieux, Hunter College 

McBride, Dorothy E.  Abortion in the United States: a reference handbook.  ABC-Clio, 2008.  303p index afp; ISBN 9781598840988, $55.00. Reviewed in 2008may CHOICE.
45-4762  HQ767  2007-25876 CIP 

McBride (emer., Florida Atlantic) covers abortion politics in the US, including a modern historical overview of abortion’s criminalization in the 19th century, implications of Roe v. Wade, the 1976 Hyde Amendment, RU-486, fetal homicide laws, and more recent issues such as fetal viability and stem cell research. Additional chapters address perspectives on abortion in Western democracies and on other continents, including how the UN and US foreign aid rules influence contraception policies in developing countries; biographical sketches of activists on both sides; how positions are framed and presented in the media; and a chronology (1803-2007). This single volume offers a selection of primary documents, including excerpts from the Comstock Act, the Humanae Vitae papal bull, and Supreme Court rulings and statutes, along with a directory of organizations (governmental, US, and international), charts of current state laws, bibliographies following each chapter, a larger bibliography of pro-life and pro-choice books, videos (both documentary and dramatic), and Internet resources. McBride offers a solid, unbiased introduction to the current political climate surrounding abortion. Summing Up: Recommended. Undergraduate institutions and public libraries; lower- and upper-level undergraduates, graduate students, and general readers. — A. B. Johnson, Ithaca College 

Meyers, Chris.  The fetal position: a rational approach to the abortion issue.  Prometheus Books, 2010.  216p bibl index ISBN 1591027683  pbk, $19.00; ISBN 9781591027683  pbk, $19.00. Reviewed in 2011mar CHOICE.
48-3791  HQ767  2010-6838 CIP 

Taking the unique approach of philosophically analyzing some of the most common arguments for and against abortion presented by nonphilosophers, this volume focuses on premises and conclusions, terms used, and such issues as consistency and equivocation of terms. Meyers (Univ. of Southern Mississippi) looks first at the radical disagreement on what constitutes human life, examining two views of what constitutes the “soul,” a substantive view and a semantic one, centered in the philosophies of Descartes and Aristotle. The author then evaluates these two theories in terms of their consistency with the facts of human reproduction and development. In part 2, Meyers focus on three categories of arguments against abortion: responsibility, potentiality, and the golden rule. First he explores in depth the notion of responsibility and its complement of irresponsibility, followed by a discussion of the concepts of “accepting responsibility,” “facing up to consequences,” and being “responsible for someone.” Chapter 7 deals with the difficult question of a “potential person” and a notion of “future interests.” A final chapter discusses the rights of the pregnant woman. This analysis brings needed clarification to the many aspects of this difficult debate. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. — J. A. Kegley, California State University, Bakersfield 

Rose, Melody.  Safe, legal, and unavailable?: abortion politics in the United States.  CQ Press, 2007.  235p bibl index afp ISBN 1933116897  pbk, $28.95; ISBN 9781933116891  pbk, $28.95.  Outstanding Title! Reviewed in 2007may CHOICE.
44-5314  HQ767  2006-22032 CIP 

Rose (Portland State Univ.) has written a textbook that, although provocative, presents a balanced discussion of conflicting views in the still controversial abortion debate. During the course of these discussions, she provides a comprehensive review of the history of abortion, landmark constitutional cases on abortion, state and federal restrictions on abortion, and policy-related issues regarding recent and possibly future movement in this area. There is much to recommend this volume, including discussion questions and suggested readings at the end of each chapter and three very helpful appendixes that include landmark court cases, political party platform planks, and Web resources. Perhaps unique and most important, however, is the author’s interviews with and inclusion of the viewpoints of physicians who practice in this area. Whereas some texts in this area focus on either the constitutional law or the partisan debates, this volume casts a much wider net, including chapters on the Supreme Court, state laws, party politics, and debates over amending the Constitution. Especially useful for courses in women and the law, constitutional law, and even (as a case study) more general public policy classes. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. — M. W. Bowers, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Editor’s note: The following pertinent title will be reviewed in a forthcoming issue:

Ekland-Olson, Sheldon. Who lives, who dies, who decides?: abortion, neonatal care, assisted dying, capital punishment. Routledge, 2012. 424p index ISBN 9780415892469, $155.00; ISBN 9780415892476 pbk, $39.95; ISBN 9780203182277 e-book, contact publisher for price

© American Library Association.  Permission is granted to reprint and link to this newsletter for noncommercial, educational use.  The following copyright notice must accompany such use: Reprinted with permission from CHOICE http://www.cro2.org, copyright by the American Library Association.

To obtain permission for other uses, contact [email protected].  CHOICE is a publication of the Association of College & Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association.