Choice words: a collection of writing about abortion

Description

Cover; Title Page; Copyright; Note; Contents; Tanya Plibersek: Foreword: unfinished business; Louise Swinn: Introduction; Abortion laws across Australia; Claudia Karvan: Free and relieved; Shirley Barrett: Doctor Marshall; Angela Williamson: The Apple Isle; Caroline de Costa: Who are the abortion providers, and what does the future hold?; Caroline de Costa: Out of the shadows: abortion in Queensland; Melissa Lucashenko: Together we are powerful; Laura Jean: Day of; Clem Bastow: I dreamed I lost my reproductive rights in my Maidenform bra; Meredith Burgmann: For the long haul;Choice Words: A Collection of Writing About Abortion is a cri de coeur, a passionate appeal, from writers, thinkers, musicians, actors, comedians, activists and political staffers, offering personal stories of abortion alongside historical record and political anecdote. At a time when abortion is a criminal act and prosecution is a real risk in parts of Australia, this book is needed more than ever. The world watched aghast this July when a Tasmanian woman lost her job at a high-profile sporting agency for tweeting the truth - even in states in which abortion is legal, access can be nearly impossible. This treasury of stories highlights the sheer commonality of abortion. Women have been dealing with the risks and the fall-out for longer than there is record. It is poignant, wise, funny and true; a salute to those who have been working in the field, a celebration of how far we've come, an electrifying caterwaul at how far we still have to go, and a clarion call to action. Contributors include Jane Caro, Claudia Karvan, Laura Jean, Melissa Lucashenko, Emily Maguire, Tara June Winch, Michelle Law, Melanie Cheng, Anne Summers, Gideon Haigh, Monica Dux, Bri Lee, Jenny Kee, and a Foreword by Tanya Plibersek. Proceeds from Choice Words will go to the charity Marie Stopes Australia, the only national, independently-accredited, not-for-profit safe abortion provider, that has helped more than 600,000 women in the past twenty years.