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Title details for Bodies on the Line by Lauren Rankin - Available

Bodies on the Line

At the Front Lines of the Fight to Protect Abortion in America

by Lauren Rankin
Kate Udall
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
A powerfully empathetic and impeccably researched look at abortion clinic escorting Abortion has been legal for nearly fifty years in the United States, but with a new conservative majority on the Supreme Court and an emboldened opposition in the street, the threat to its existence has never been more pressing. Clinic escorts-everyday volunteers-are prepared to stand up and protect abortion access, as they have for decades, even in the face of terrorism and violence. They have lived, and sometimes died, to ensure that abortion remains not only accessible but also a basic human right. Clinic escorts have fought the "abortion wars" on the front lines, and it is clinic escorts who will win it, by replacing hostility with humanity. Collecting the stories of these brave volunteers from around the country-including the author's own-interviews with clinic staff and patients, and research and input from abortion rights experts, Bodies on the Line makes a clear case for the right to an abortion as a fundamental part of human dignity, and the stakes facing us all if it ends. Bodies on the Line is a celebration of the crucial, often unsung heroes of abortion access and an inspiring call to defend this basic health care before it's too late.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 26, 2022

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781696607780
      • File size: 266723 KB
      • Duration: 09:15:40

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      September 1, 2022

      As our nation wrestles with the fallout of the Supreme Court decision in June 2022 reversing the right to a legal abortion, this title tells of the thousands of brave men and women who literally put their bodies on the line for women to have access to legal, safe abortions. This is a little-known part of the abortion rights story and one that might be lost to time if not recounted in books like this one. Writer and speaker Rankin was one of the volunteers who escorted patients and clinic staff through the throngs of angry anti-abortion protestors. The firsthand stories of playing cat and mouse with organized protestors, trying to guess where they would attack, and beating them to the location in the days without cell phones is riveting. Narrator Kate Udall is an excellent choice for this book. Her tone and cadence perfectly match the passion and solemnity of the topic. VERDICT Recommended for medium and large public libraries and any other libraries where women's issues are strong circulators.--Gretchen Pruett

      Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from January 3, 2022
      Abortion rights activist Rankin debuts with a powerful tribute to abortion clinic escorts, who help women access the healthcare they seek despite harassment, threats of violence, and legal barriers. Drawing on her own experiences as a volunteer clinic escort in New Jersey and interviews with activists and clinic staff, Rankin describes how the anti-abortion movement in the U.S. became increasingly hostile in the years after 1973, when the Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide in Roe v. Wade. She documents instances of extremist violence by anti-abortion activists in the 1980s and ’90s, including bombings and burnings of abortion clinics and assassinations of abortion providers, and contends that local police often sympathize with anti-abortion protestors and fail to enforce laws meant to prevent the harassment of patients and staff. Rankin also notes that as various states have passed more restrictions on abortion, the number of clinics has plunged (currently, only 10% of U.S. counties have one), leading pro-choice activists to set up networks to help patients who must travel long distances and go through extended waiting periods with transportation, information, and accommodations. Lucidly written and sharply argued, this is a sobering and timely dispatch from the fight to preserve abortion rights.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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