Happy Abortions: Our Bodies in the Era of Choice

Description

When it comes to the subject of abortion, today’s liberal rhetoric has produced an atmosphere common-sense that is simultaneously pro-choice and yet, anti-abortion, a contradiction that often overlooks what the choice to have an abortion entails and how this decision is experienced by women. While progressives verbally support the notion of choice, the idea that abortion could or should be a positive experience for women is rarely discussed in our socio-political landscape. In this careful and intelligent work, Erica Millar shows how the emotions of abortion have been constructed in sharp contrast to the ideals we have created of motherhood as the unassailable symbol for women’s happiness. Through an analysis of the cultural and political forces that continue to influence the decisions women make about their pregnancies, forces that are frequently synonymous with the rhetoric of choice, Millar argues for a radical reinterpretation of women’s freedom. Cover......Page 1 Endorsements......Page 2 About the Author......Page 3 Title page......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgements......Page 7 Introduction: An Emotional Choice......Page 10 Chapter 1. The Politics of Choice......Page 58 Chapter 2. Happy Choices......Page 98 Chapter 3. The Grief of Choice......Page 145 Chapter 4. Shameful Choices......Page 193 Chapter 5. The Nation's Choice?......Page 230 Conclusion: A Viable Abortion......Page 269 Notes......Page 290 Bibliography......Page 294 Index......Page 331 About Zed......Page 353