IN THE US, WOMEN’S BODILY AUTONOMY
HT’s editors offer a book recommendation every Saturday, which provides history, context, and helps understand recent news events
On December 1, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments on a Mississippi abortion case which risks the repeal of the 1973 Roe v Wade judgment that legalised abortion in America. This sent shock waves across the country as it threatens to snatch away women’s bodily autonomy, and in effect, their freedoms.
This week, we recommend Shout Your Abortion edited by Amelia Bonow and Emily Nokes, a diverse anthology by women who have had abortions, doctors who have performed them, and volunteers who helped women through the process of safe abortions. Now, as reproductive rights are under threat, women stand to find their rights subject to State control. These stories depict the injustices that women (especially women of colour) face in exercising autonomy and choice over having a child. And as the debate goes, denying women the right to an abortion shouldn’t be seen as pro-life, but rather, against it.