Re Thinking Abortion

Women have been able to have abortions legally for over 30 years. Yet few books have considered it as anything other than a health issue. Mary Boyle breaks this mould by considering the constructions of abortion in Western society. Drawing on ideas from sociology, politics, anthropology and law as well as psychology, she shows how abortion is linked to sexual behaviour and motherhood in the complex web of gender and power relations. This book will be of interest to all those engaged with feminist thinking, whether as student, academic, or professional in practice.

Mark Graber looks at the history of abortion law in action to argue that the only defensible, constitutional approach to the issue is to afford all women equal choice--abortion should remain legal or bans should be strictly enforced. Steering away from metaphysical critiques of privacy, Graber compares the philosophical, constitutional, and democratic merits of the two systems of abortion regulation witnessed in the twentieth century: pre-Roe v. Wade statutory prohibitions on abortion and Roe's ban on significant state interference with the market for safe abortion services. He demonstrates that before Roe, pro-life measures were selectively and erratically administered, thereby subverting our constitutional commitment to equal justice. Claiming that these measures would be similarly administered if reinstated, the author seeks to increase support for keeping abortion legal, even among those who have reservations about its morality. Abortion should remain legal, Graber argues, because statutory bans on abortion have a history of being enforced in ways that intentionally discriminate against poor persons and persons of color. In the years before Roe, the same law enforcement officials who routinely ignored and sometimes assisted those physicians seeking to terminate pregnancies for their private patients too often prevented competent abortionists from offering the same services to the general public. This double standard violated the fundamental human and constitutional right of equal justice under law, a right that remains a major concern of the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Women have been able to have abortions legally for over 30 years. Yet few books have considered it as anything other than a health issue. Mary Boyle breaks this mould by considering the constructions of abortion in Western society. Drawing on ideas from sociology, politics, anthropology and law as well as psychology, she shows how abortion is linked to sexual behaviour and motherhood in the complex web of gender and power relations. This book will be of interest to all those engaged with feminist thinking, whether as student, academic, or professional in practice.

This book introduces readers to the many arguments and controversies concerning abortion. While it argues for ethical and legal positions on the issues, it focuses on how to think about the issues, not just what to think about them. It is an ideal resource to improve your understanding of what people think, why they think that and whether their (and your) arguments are good or bad, and why. It's ideal for classroom use, discussion groups, organizational learning, and personal reading. From the Preface To many people, abortion is an issue for which discussions and debates are frustrating and fruitless: it seems like no progress will ever be made towards any understanding, much less resolution or even compromise. Judgments like these, however, are premature because some basic techniques from critical thinking, such as carefully defining words and testing definitions, stating the full structure of arguments so each step of the reasoning can be examined, and comparing the strengths and weaknesses of different explanations can help us make progress towards these goals. When emotions run high, we sometimes need to step back and use a passion for calm, cool, critical thinking. This helps us better understand the positions and arguments of people who see things differently from us, as well as our own positions and arguments. And we can use critical thinking skills help to try to figure out which positions are best, in terms of being supported by good arguments: after all, we might have much to learn from other people, sometimes that our own views should change, for the better. Here we use basic critical thinking skills to argue that abortion is typically not morally wrong. We begin with less morally-controversial claims: adults, children and babies are wrong to kill and wrong to kill, fundamentally, because they, we, are conscious, aware and have feelings. We argue that since early fetuses entirely lack these characteristics, they are not inherently wrong to kill and so most abortions are not morally wrong, since most abortions are done early in pregnancy, before consciousness and feeling develop in the fetus. Furthermore, since the right to life is not the right to someone else’s body, fetuses might not have the right to the pregnant woman’s body—which she has the right to—and so she has the right to not allow the fetus use of her body. This further justifies abortion, at least until technology allows for the removal of fetuses to other wombs. Since morally permissible actions should be legal, abortions should be legal: it is an injustice to criminalize actions that are not wrong. In the course of arguing for these claims, we: 1. discuss how to best define abortion; 2. dismiss many common “question-begging” arguments that merely assume their conclusions, instead of giving genuine reasons for them; 3. refute some often-heard “everyday arguments” about abortion, on all sides; 4. explain why the most influential philosophical arguments against abortion are unsuccessful; 5. provide some positive arguments that at least early abortions are not wrong; 6. briefly discuss the ethics and legality of later abortions, and more. This essay is not a “how to win an argument” piece or a tract or any kind of apologetics. It is not designed to help anyone “win” debates: everybody “wins” on this issue when we calmly and respectfully engage arguments with care, charity, honesty and humility. This book is merely a reasoned, systematic introduction to the issues that we hope models these skills and virtues. Its discussion should not be taken as absolute “proof” of anything: much more needs to be understood and carefully discussed—always.

Deals with current social/moral problems: abortion, racism, competitiveness, growing up. Each segment is introduced by a moderator who poses a problem, presents 3-4 possible solutions, and then leaves the topic open for discussion. Rethinking abortion's choices are affirming life, abortion rights, respecting differences. Regaining the competitive edge focuses on reviving the work ethic, basic skills for the bottom third of society, and new skills for the 21st century. Remedies for racial inequality centers around civil rights, affirmative action, and alleviating poverty. Growing up at risk's questions are morality/getting back to basics; violence in the home, school, and community; programs for kids, in trouble; and the loss of hope.

The referendum to overturn Ireland's near-total abortion ban in 2018 stands as one of the most remarkable political events of recent times. The campaign to repeal the 8th amendment succeeded not only in challenging centuries of religious and patriarchal dogma, but in signalling a major transformation in Irish society itself. After Repeal explores both the campaign and the implications of the referendum result for politics, identity and culture today. Bringing together a range of international perspectives, this collection transcends geographical and disciplinary boundaries while exploring themes including activism, artwork, social movements, law, media, democratic institutions, and reproductive technologies. This work looks beyond the Irish context and to the future, offering unique insight into the wider struggle for reproductive justice around the world.

Whether you're pro-life or pro-choice, you probably agree on one thing: abortion hurts women, both mentally and physically. Unfortunately, both sides are guilty of ignoring the individual in favor of the higher moral ground. No more. This book is designed to help people heal from their abortions on an individual level, and to finally be able to put guilt, shame, fear, doubt and other negative feelings behind them forever. Jennifer O'Neill's approach to healing is Christ-centered, showing post-abortive women that God still loves them, and that they should therefore love themselves. She should know--she felt guilt and shame over her own abortion for years. And she is not alone in that pain. This book: presents the symptoms of post-abortion syndrome (experienced by 80 percent of post-abortive women) incorporates a step-by-step, faith-based process for healing that incorporates Scripture provides true stories of women and men who have struggled with the affects of abortion includes resources for help and support Not just for the woman herself, this book is the perfect comfort and guide for people with friends, daughters or loved ones struggling with the after-effects of abortion, whether recent or long in the past. Key Features Focuses on personal stories of healing from more than 25 women, including Jennifer O'Neill herself. Takes women through a series of feeling--guilt, shame, honesty and grieving--that ultimately lead to personal and divine forgiveness. The central tenet is that God always loves you, no matter what happens, a message many post-abortive women don't get from their church communities, but which they desperately need.

"Now with a new afterword by the author"--Back cover.

"The Duping of America" is the result of two years of research and thorough examination of multiple facets of the abortion debate, with more than 150 citations from medical, scientific, legal and ethics experts. The goal of the book is to educate readers about abortion and motivate them to take a stand to protect life based on objective evidence. It examines the social and cultural trends that led to the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and what the effects have been, and reveals the inner workings of Planned Parenthood. Presenting the impact the media and Hollywood have had in promoting abortion and shaping public opinion, it equips the reader with facts to disprove the fourteen most common anti-life arguments. Different types of abortions and their legal implications are described based on former abortionists' testimony, and also considers who were among the 61,000,000 people we have aborted so far. The role of crisis pregnancy centers in helping women in problem pregnancies as well as serving post-abortive women and sources for healing are outlined. In addition, the book includes statistics and the politics of abortion, as well as the role played by religion. It concludes with a challenge to the reader to take a stand to defend unborn human life, and offers seven specific actions the pro-life advocate can take. As a lifelong pro-life advocate, Rick has always been interested in justice issues and probing the core of complicated, sometimes controversial subjects. "The Duping of America" is his first attempt at publishing a fact-based approach to examine such a topic. With two bachelor's degrees from Eastern Illinois University and two graduate degrees from UCLA, Rick was raised in Illinois, but has lived in Southern California for many years. He and his wife have two adult children and are expecting their third grandchild in 2020. His goal is to educate readers and listeners about abortion and motivate them to take a stand for life. He enjoys traveling, gardening, food, hiking, ocean kayaking, and touring visitors around southern California. He is available for speaking engagements and fundraisers for pro-life organizations and crisis pregnancy centers.