Author(s): Jennifer Baumgardner

Feminism | Abortion

"In her role as author and activist, Jennifer Baumgardner has permanently changed the way people think about feminism . . . and will shape the next hundred years of politics and culture."--The Commonwealth Club of California, hailing Baumgardner as one of Six Visionaries for the Twenty-First Century

"If Jennifer Baumgardner ever needs another mom, I'll be the first in line to adopt her. She's smart, fearless, and a formidable force for change."--Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed

In Abortion & Life, author and activist Jennifer Baumgardner reveals how the most controversial and stigmatized Supreme Court decision of our time cuts across eras, classes, and race. Stunning portraits by photographer Tara Todras-Whitehill of folk singer Ani DiFranco, authors Barbara Ehrenreich and Gloria Steinem, and others accompany their elucidating accounts of their own abortion experiences.

In this bold new work, Baumgardner explores some of the thorniest issues around terminating a pregnancy, including the ones that the pro-choice establishment has been the least sensitive or effective in confronting.

Included is a comprehensive listing of abortion resources, and 10 percent of the book's profits go to the New York Abortion Access Fund.

Praise for Abortion & Life:

"Activist, filmmaker (of I Had an Abortion) and co-author (Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism and the Future) Baumgardner dedicates her work to spreading awareness about abortion. Graced with black and white photo portraits by Tara Todras-Whitehill of women wearing Baumgardner's shirt, reading simply "I had an abortion," the emphasis is on the testimony of these patients, revealing not only how common the procedure is (one in three women, according to the Guttmacher Institute) but how diverse those women and their situations are. Baumgardner begins with a brief history of abortion legislation in America, from pre-Roe v. Wade restrictions to clinic workers and doctors protested, threatened and murdered (as in the case of Buffalo doctor Barnett Slepian). Still, as Baumgardner says, it's the record of "our lives [that] might provide the best road map to strengthening women's reproductive freedoms."--Publishers Weekly, Sept. 2008

"An effort at finding the middle ground on a contentious issue...Baumgardner's dedication to widening and civilizing the discussion is clear. She instructs, hopefully; this book belongs in the hands of a new generation of abortion-rights advocates, who can benefit from its history and might strive to answer its difficult questions."--Los Angeles Times