Relevant, timely, important, especially in light of Roe being in jeopardy and so many states passing bills that essentially ban abortion.

CONTROLLING WOMEN by Kathryn Kolbert and Julie F. Kay is subtitled "What We Must Do Now to Save Reproductive Freedom." It will certainly be of interest to our students, several of whom have researched and written about court cases like Roe v. Wade, about the Turnaway Study, and about policy reviews from places like Guttmacher Institute. The authors are both lawyers: Kolbert argued Planned Parenthood v. Casey before the Supreme Court and has long been a champion of women's rights; Kay, too, has argued for women and for religious rights, both in the US and abroad. In crafting this book, they have relied on their "own recollections and contemporaneous accounts and analysis by others;" the notes section comprises roughly twenty percent of the text.

Some of the statistics they cite may be quite surprising – did you know that nearly 1 in 4 women has an abortion by age 45? Yet partisan controversy (see editorial cartoon created by The Washington Post's Ann Telnaes, for example) and drama (e.g., incarceration of a mother who ordered abortion medication for her daughter; new laws further restricting access and allowing for more litigation) are rampant. Kolbert and Kay discuss much of the history as well as the new composition of the Supreme Court before outlining their thoughts on "new tactics, new triumphs" involving a range of activities including state initiatives and even new locations (like international waters) for reproductive health clinics. CONTROLLING WOMEN received starred reviews from Kirkus and Library Journal.

Links in live post:
https://www.ansirh.org/research/ongoing/turnaway-study
https://www.guttmacher.org/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/07/26/keep-government-womens-lives/

This book was much denser than I had initially anticipated. I enjoyed the emphasis on women of color and how reproductive rights specifically impact them as that is a vital part of this work. Admittedly, I did not know many of the specifics of Roe v Wade or about the other pivotal legislation so this book was very informative book; however, I expected the language and writing to be more accessible.

Review to come on my blog, but I was surprised how much of a page-turned this book was. I went to Catholic school, so learning the intricacies of this debate in an accessible way is important to me. Really well written, enjoyed learning the legal side of this debate! I would be curious how this translates over to Canada, but I still found this book generally informative.