265: When Abortion Was a Crime: Women, Medicine, and Law in the United States, 1867-1973 by Leslie J. Reagan

When Abortion Was a Crime: Women, Medicine, and Law in the United States, 1867-1973

We forget or we never knew. There was a time when abortion was illegal. Leslie Reagan provides the history of this time and helps explain why decriminalization was fought for and advocated by so many progressives. Her history covers the era from the mid-nineteenth century when abortion was criminalized until the Supreme Court's ruling in Roe v. Wade which ruled that laws criminalizing abortion were unconstitutional.

Why this is progressive/liberal: One of the brightest lines separating conservatives from liberals is the issue of abortion. For many progressives the science of embryonic development, the history of natural and induced abortion, and the importance of individual freedom combine to make a woman's right to choose to continue or to end a pregnancy a fundamental right. The idea that life begins upon conception is rooted in religion rather than science. Neither the government nor one specific faith should interfere with an individual's right to their body.

Buy the Kindle version: When Abortion Was a Crime: Women, Medicine, and Law in the United States, 1867-1973