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.
Author Robin Stevenson, who is also a queer mom, gives us an overview of laws in both Canada and the U.S. (prior to the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022), 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.
The book is aimed at grades 8 through 12, so it catches the edge of middle-grade readers, though it may be more of interest to older teens.
