New Book for Teens Explores History and Future of Abortion Rights (and It’s by a Queer Mom)

A look at the news over the past few weeks leaves no doubt that abortion rights are under attack. This makes a new book for teens about abortion rights and reproductive justice a superbly timely and important read. Even better, it’s by a queer mom whose other books you may have read!

Readers here may know Robin Stevenson from her previous books, including Pride Colors, a charming board book for toddlers and Pride: Celebrating Diversity and Community, a history of the event and a broader look at the struggle for LGBTQ equality, which earned a Stonewall Honor from the American Library Association in 2017. She’s also an award-winning writer of young adult and middle grade novels, and a bisexual mom who lives in Victoria, B.C. with her partner Cheryl and their teenage son. Before becoming an author, however, she was a social worker at a women’s health clinic. In an Author’s Note for her latest book, My Body My Choice: The Fight for Abortion Rights (Orca), she tells us how in that role, she spoke with many people getting abortions and saw how important it was for people “to be in control of their own bodies and lives.”

My Body My Choice is both a history and a call to action. Combining text, images, quotes, maps, charts, and more into an engaging package, it offers a look at what abortion is, how it became criminalized, and the generations of activists who have fought for reproductive freedom. “Abortion is one of the most commonly performed medical procedures,” Stevenson tells us, noting that people from all religious, cultural, racial, and ethnic backgrounds have them, for many different reasons. She shows that even the ancient Egyptians and Greeks had methods of inducing abortions—and that in 1787, when the U.S. Constitution was adopted, “abortions were openly advertised and commonly performed.” Racism and sexism, however, combined to create an increasingly restrictive environment for abortions in both Canada and the U.S.

Stevenson offers an overview of current laws in both countries, and profiles many activists, organizations, and grassroots movements working to help people access safe abortions. “Wherever there is oppression, there is resistance,” she observes. One chapter is also devoted to the fight for abortion rights around the world, where “one in every four pregnancies ends in an abortion—and almost half of those abortions are unsafe.” A final chapter looks at “Stories from the Front Lines” and explains how the current struggle for abortion rights has evolved into a fight for the broader goal of reproductive justice, looking at the multiple oppressions people face in the context of their whole lives. Throughout, Stevenson allows the voices of those who have had and/or have fought for reproductive rights to be heard. Lots of sidebars and pull quotes make this an engaging and dynamic read.

Commendably, she uses transgender-inclusive language throughout when referring to those who may be pregnant or have abortions, except when she is using historical or other source material that refers only to women. She also has a specific section about transgender and non-binary people and abortion and their need for “accessible, appropriate, and inclusive” care.

Another section looks at disability rights and abortion. She notes the debates around prenatal screening and selective abortion of fetuses with certain conditions, but stresses that both disability rights and abortion rights are all about control of one’s reproductive decisions—a control that some people with disabilities have had to fight to obtain.

Stevenson says that she hopes the book starts conversations, although she adds that “no one should feel pressured to speak out about their own experience.” At the same time, she asserts, “When basic rights are threatened, it is vital that people speak up and resist.” Her book should help young readers do that—and even we adults may find much useful information and inspiration in it.

My Body My Choice is part of publisher Orca’s “Orca Issues” series, which also includes Monique Polak’s I Am a Feminist: Claiming the F-Word in Turbulent Times, a similarly structured book that I won’t review in full here, but do recommend.