Praise for liberating abortion
“This book is the rebellious call for reproductive freedom we need right now.”
— Dorothy Roberts, author of Killing the Black Body and Torn Apart
“a timely and necessary account.”
— Congresswoman Barbara Lee
“a powerful vision for what will be possible once abortion is liberated for all.”
— Busy Philipps, actor, author, and abortion activist
“An affirmative vision that places abortion within a social justice context, calling for equitable support for all families.”
Two Black journalists share honest stories to break the “abortion stigma.”
Bracey Sherman and Mahone aim to eliminate the shame and blame that still surround the subject of abortion by offering myriad accounts of women who have had abortions and by scouring the historical record. As “two Black women who have had abortions and experienced the anti-Blackness of the ‘pro-life’ movement,” the authors write as a collective “we” as they explain why working for reproductive rights means more than allowing women to decide for themselves if and when to become parents rather than being dictated to by the government or doctors. Reproductive justice, they argue, means equitable access to health care, education, contraception and fertility treatments, gender-affirming care, and abortion for all, not just for those who can afford it. It means proper funding to ensure this access and to feed and house families in need. In the wake of the Supreme Court's recent decision in Dobbs, they note, abortion is further restricted for women of color, while misinformation about it abounds. The authors walk the reader through what exactly an abortion is, whether performed with surgery or medication or “self-managed.” They demonstrate that abortion has roots in American and world history that reach all the way back to ancient Egypt, documenting how providers were gradually demonized over the centuries. They offer stories of people who have worked for reproductive rights over the decades, such as the courageous women of the so-called Jane Collective in Chicago from the late 1960s until abortion became legal in 1973. Despite this necessarily sobering material, their tone is determinedly upbeat, and their informative text will help young women especially to navigate difficult decisions.
An affirmative vision that places abortion within a social justice context, calling for equitable support for all families.
— KIRKUS REVIEWS (Starred Review)
“A clear and accessible guide for those who want to learn more about abortion and join the fight for reproductive rights.”
Calling for an end to abortion stigma, activist Bracey Sherman and journalist Mahone (hosts of The A Files podcast) use the framework of reproductive justice to envision a world in which abortion is liberated, and everyone has the right to bodily autonomy, especially Black and brown people. Media coverage in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision highlighted a limited range of abortion stories, leaving out the “whole stories of the people who have the majority of abortions.” Sharing their own abortion stories and those of other people of color, Bracey Sherman and Mahone argue that we need to “stop settling for good-enough” when it comes to abortion access and push beyond Roe v. Wade. They provide practical information about menstruation, pregnancy, and abortion; combat misinformation; and detail the long history of abortion and the many ways Black and brown people have been central to the abortion rights movement. The result is a clear and accessible guide for those who want to learn more about abortion and join the fight for reproductive rights.
— Booklist
“our storytellers meet the moment WITH POWERFUL INSIGHT AND TESTIMONIALS.”
In a deeply consequential moment in our struggle for abortion justice, our LIBERATING ABORTION storytellers, Renee Bracey Sherman and Regina Mahone, meet the moment with powerful insight and testimonials. Abortion care is health care. And together, we will work to build a nation where anyone who seeks abortion care can receive that care with dignity and support.
— CONGRESSWOMAN AYANNA PRESSLEY
“Liberating Abortion is a pathbreaking book and a work that we most need now.”
Liberating Abortion is a pathbreaking book and a work that we most need now. With great sensitivity, depth, and compassion, Renee Bracey Sherman and Regina Mahone do the finest story-telling by lifting up voices of those seldom heard. They are masterful. In doing so, they are building the future of reproductive justice by reframing the cultural narrative and setting forth a new agenda. In the process, they are reclaiming history and reigniting the power of storytelling.
— Michele Goodwin, author of Policing the Womb: Invisible Women and the Criminalization of Motherhood
“Liberating Abortion is a timely and necessary account…”
Open and inclusive dialogue is necessary to continue the fight for true reproductive freedom. Liberating Abortion is a timely and necessary account that rightly centers the abortion experiences of Black and Brown women in this country. Access to abortion impacts every single person; and every single person deserves to have their voice heard. This book brilliantly couples research with lived experiences of so many whose voices have been silenced for far too long.
— Congresswoman Barbara Lee
“surprising, enraging and hopeful.”
Renee Bracey Sherman and Regina Mahone do the urgent work of mapping out history that many of us have never been taught, weaving in representational, familial, religious, racial and sexual analysis that is in turns surprising, enraging and hopeful.
Centering voices who have too often been silenced, Liberating Abortion provides a generously corrective view of our past and a compassionate glimpse of what a freer and more collective future might look like.
— Rebecca Traister, New York Times best selling author of Good and Mad and All the Single Ladies
“This book is the rebellious call for reproductive freedom we need right now.”
Liberating Abortion is an unabashed defense of abortion as an essential part of reproductive justice, inextricably tied to our right to parent on our own terms. Based on compelling stories of people of color who had and advocate for abortions, Renee Bracey Sherman and Regina Mahone contest the racist, sexist and unscientific myths that stigmatize abortion and they issue a no holds barred manifesto for abortion care—for anyone, anywhere, at any time, and for any reason. This book is the rebellious call for reproductive freedom we need right now.
— Dorothy Roberts, author of Killing the Black Body and Torn Apart
“ a powerful and razor-sharp roadmap to a just, liberated future where abortion is for all.”
Part manifesto, history lesson, and urgent call to action, LIBERATING ABORTION by Renee Bracey Sherman and Regina Mahone is a powerful and razor-sharp roadmap to a just, liberated future where abortion is for all.
— Karlie Kloss, model, entrepreneur, and advocate
“both unflinchingly candid and fiercely hopeful…a gift to future generations.”
To read this book is to be invited into a conversation with Black and Brown activists, artists, leaders, scholars, people who have had abortions, and people who have unapologetically provided this essential care throughout history. Liberating Abortion skillfully weaves together personal stories, political analysis, and practical advice to tell a story that's both unflinchingly candid and fiercely hopeful. In writing the book they wish they'd had, Renee and Regina have given a gift to future generations.
— Cecile Richards, author of Make Trouble
“Prescient and beautifully written, this is the book we need at just the right time.”
Prescient and beautifully written, this is the book we need at just the right time. Renee Bracey Sherman and Regina Mahone have created an accessible text that addresses the void often created by the pro-choice movement. This book is a primer on abortion and reproductive justice, a sex-education manual, and history book all in one. This remarkable book is one of a kind and should be on your reading list.
— ALICIA GUTIERREZ-ROMINE, PHD
Author of From Back Alley to the Border: Criminal Abortion in California, 1920-1969
“This book is vital reading for everyone who cares about the future of bodily autonomy!”
Liberating Abortion helps contextualize the moment we’re currently facing in this country and provides an in-depth look at the history of abortion which recenters the experiences of people of color—which is beyond important for all of us to understand as we collectively look to the future of reproductive justice. Renee and Regina use their unique voices to bring to life in-depth research and stories of abortion and share a powerful vision for what will be possible once abortion is liberated for all. This book is vital reading for everyone who cares about the future of bodily autonomy!
— BUSY PHILLIPS, actor, author, and abortion activist
“Holy shit! LIBERATING ABORTION is a brilliant book.”
Holy shit! LIBERATING ABORTION is a brilliant book. I learned so much about the hidden history of abortion and the remarkable people who have gathered in community for generations to liberate us all. Renee Bracey Sherman and Regina Mahone’s immense skill and generosity as storytellers makes the book deeply personal, human, and real. LIBERATING ABORTION is expansive and the writing is accessible without ever sacrificing complexity. LIBERATING ABORTION feels like having a fascinating and emotional conversation with good friends who also happen to be really smart.
Reading LIBERATING ABORTION was a little humbling; as a fellow storyteller, I thought I knew a lot about the history of abortion, and I was stunned by how many revelations there were for me in every chapter. LIBERATING ABORTION revealed to me what I didn't know with such compassion. And, as a parent of toddlers, I appreciate the beautiful chapter on parenthood. Too often the rhetoric on abortion feels divorced from the experience of giving birth and of parenting when—as LIBERATING ABORTION so beautifully illustrates—these experiences are fundamentally connected.
LIBERATING ABORTION is an exhilarating call to action and a celebration of the power of friendship, love, and community. What a momentous achievement. I can’t wait for my daughters to read it.
— HEIDI SCHRECK, Writer / Performer, What the Constitution Means to Me
