Bibliograph

The abortionist, a woman against the law, Rickie Solinger

Type

Label

The abortionist, a woman against the law, Rickie Solinger

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (pages 253-267)

resource.biographical

contains biographical information

Index

no index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

The abortionist

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

1089287653

Responsibility statement

Rickie Solinger

Sub title

a woman against the law

Summary

Before Roe vs. Wade, hundreds of thousands of illegal abortions were performed in the U.S. every year. Award-winning author Rickie Solinger tells the revealing story of Ruth Barnett, who performed 40,000 such abortions between 1918 and 1968 and never lost a patient. 8-page photo insert"This twenty-fifth anniversary edition places abortion politics in the context of reproductive justice today and explains why abortion has been--and remains--a political flashpoint in the United States. Before Roe v. Wade, hundreds of thousands of illegal abortions occurred in the United States every year. Rickie Solinger tells the story of Ruth Barnett, an abortionist in Portland, Oregon, from 1918 to 1968, to demonstrate how the law, not back-alley practitioners, endangered women's lives in the years before legalized abortion. Women from all walks of life came to Barnett, who worked in a proper office, undisturbed by legal authorities, and never lost a patient. But in the illegal era following World War II, Barnett and other practitioners were hounded by police and became targets for politicians; women seeking abortions were forced to turn to syndicates run by racketeers or to use self-induced methods that often ended in injury or death. This new edition places abortion politics in the context of reproductive justice today. Despite the change in women's status since Barnett's time, key cultural and political meanings of abortion have endured. Opponents of Roe v. Wade continue their efforts to recriminalize abortion and reestablish an inexorable relationship between biology and destiny. The Abortionist is an instructive reminder that legal abortion facilitated women's status as full members of society. Barnett's story clarifies the relationship of legal abortion to human dignity and shows why preserving and extending Roe v. Wade ensures women's freedom to decide for themselves what is best for their health." --, Provided by publisher

Table Of Contents

Danger -- The life of crime -- A man's world -- A woman's hell -- Reno -- Portland -- Prime-time crime -- Women on trial -- Persistence -- After Ruth

Classification