No Choice: The Destruction of Roe v. Wade and the Fight to Protect a Fundamental American Right

Reporter Andrews debuts with a brisk yet comprehensive history of the fight over abortion care and access in the U.S. since the mid–20th century. She profiles early pro-choice activists including the 1960s founders of the Society for Humane Abortion, whose own experiences with illegal abortion led them to bolster the access network for abortion seekers, and Heather Booth, whose work helping a friend’s sister led to the founding of the Jane collective in 1969. Andrews also spotlights the clients and organizers of the Clergy Consultation Service on Abortion and Problem Pregnancies in New York, and offers an informative profile of Norma McCorvey, the plaintiff in Roe v. Wade. Fast forwarding to the end of the Roe era, Andrews discusses so-called TRAP laws “aimed at limiting access to abortion care through seemingly harmless provisions about hallway widths or expensive medical equipment unnecessary to abortion,” and profiles organizations that fund abortion care for impoverished women of color, clinic escorts who help patients get to their appointments, and antiabortion activists. Throughout, Andrews skillfully illuminates the implications of changing laws and policies through individual profiles, and offers nuanced critiques of the “political rhetoric” used by both sides of the debate. This is a valuable introduction to the current state of abortion rights in America. (Oct.)