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Abortion: Our Bodies, Their Lies, and the Truths We Use to Win
A clear and concise guide to the politics of post-Roe America, for readers eager to understand the attacks on our bodies and freedom—and to do something about it
In this, her most urgent book yet, New York Times–bestselling author Jessica Valenti dispels misinformation and cuts through the headline overwhelm to illuminate the full-scale assault conservative lawmakers have launched on women’s freedom—and fundamental human rights. Valenti provides the language to talk about abortion with confidence and the facts to convince.
American voters overwhelmingly support abortion rights and have for decades. In the years since Roe v. Wade was overturned, that support has been growing, as nearly seventy-percent of Americans want abortion to be legal in the first three months of pregnancy, and sixty-three percent want abortion medication to be legal. Abortion is among the key tools conservatives use to roll back decades of advances for women, but here Valenti arms readers with the truth needed to fight back and win, not only at the dinner table but at the polling station and all the way to the Supreme Court.
In this, her most urgent book yet, New York Times–bestselling author Jessica Valenti dispels misinformation and cuts through the headline overwhelm to illuminate the full-scale assault conservative lawmakers have launched on women’s freedom—and fundamental human rights. Valenti provides the language to talk about abortion with confidence and the facts to convince.
American voters overwhelmingly support abortion rights and have for decades. In the years since Roe v. Wade was overturned, that support has been growing, as nearly seventy-percent of Americans want abortion to be legal in the first three months of pregnancy, and sixty-three percent want abortion medication to be legal. Abortion is among the key tools conservatives use to roll back decades of advances for women, but here Valenti arms readers with the truth needed to fight back and win, not only at the dinner table but at the polling station and all the way to the Supreme Court.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2024
About the author
Jessica Valenti
16 books2,405 followersAward-winning writer and activist Jessica Valenti is the author of seven books, including the New York Times bestseller Sex Object: A Memoir. Her groundbreaking anthology, Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power and a World Without Rape, paved the way for legislation of the same name, setting what’s now considered the gold standard for sexual consent.
Jessica has also been credited with sparking feminism’s online wave by founding the trailblazing blog Feministing. She’s been a columnist for The Guardian and The Nation, and her writing has been published everywhere from The New York Times and The Atlantic to Bitch magazine and The Toast.
After the demise of Roe, Jessica founded Abortion, Every Day, an urgent synthesis of anything and everything happening with abortion rights in the United States.
She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter.
Jessica has also been credited with sparking feminism’s online wave by founding the trailblazing blog Feministing. She’s been a columnist for The Guardian and The Nation, and her writing has been published everywhere from The New York Times and The Atlantic to Bitch magazine and The Toast.
After the demise of Roe, Jessica founded Abortion, Every Day, an urgent synthesis of anything and everything happening with abortion rights in the United States.
She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
October 18, 2024
You know when you read a book and you can tell the author has researched their topic so deeply, pored over every case and piece of legislation, that they know it in their bones? That's this book. I have to give it to Valenti-- and she herself admits --she has lived, breathed and obsessed over U.S. abortion rights since their collapse in Dobbs v. Jackson.
I was concerned before reading, but now I confess I'm horrified. Valenti digs into the ramifications of overturning Roe v. Wade in the two years since it happened. A lot of it is awful but unsurprising-- pregnant women being left to the point of sepsis before doctors would dare intervene, women being forced to labour and give birth to fetuses doomed to die shortly after birth, a 10 year old rape victim forced to travel out of state for an abortion --but some of it I did not know about and it is truly insidious.
She shows how conservative lawmakers are already taking steps to revoke access to and stir up fears around contraception, spreading misinformation about the pill* and reframing IUDs and morning-after pills as types of abortion. Attempts have been made, some successfully, to imprison pregnant women within their home state with abortion "trafficking" laws, meaning that civil suits can be brought against a person who in any way assists a pregnant woman in leaving the state for an abortion.
Valenti makes a strong case against the nonsense that "pro-life" has anything to do with supporting life. She argues that these laws are about controlling and punishing women, which may have sounded a bit ridiculous had I not read this book. But the evidence is all there. Why else force a grieving woman to experience the pain of labour and the heartbreak of giving birth to a fetus that would never have survived?
*It is wild the amount of people parroting the claim that the pill makes women choose less masculine men. All those crazy harpies on the pill and their Timothee Chalamet fandom, what is the world coming to? Next they'll be asking for human rights!
No, but really. Serious people are saying this seriously. Even though this was reported in one study of 170 women (Little et al, 2013) and when they expanded the study to a far more impressive 6,482 women (Little, et al 2019), they found "no evidence" for changed preference.
I was concerned before reading, but now I confess I'm horrified. Valenti digs into the ramifications of overturning Roe v. Wade in the two years since it happened. A lot of it is awful but unsurprising-- pregnant women being left to the point of sepsis before doctors would dare intervene, women being forced to labour and give birth to fetuses doomed to die shortly after birth, a 10 year old rape victim forced to travel out of state for an abortion --but some of it I did not know about and it is truly insidious.
She shows how conservative lawmakers are already taking steps to revoke access to and stir up fears around contraception, spreading misinformation about the pill* and reframing IUDs and morning-after pills as types of abortion. Attempts have been made, some successfully, to imprison pregnant women within their home state with abortion "trafficking" laws, meaning that civil suits can be brought against a person who in any way assists a pregnant woman in leaving the state for an abortion.
Valenti makes a strong case against the nonsense that "pro-life" has anything to do with supporting life. She argues that these laws are about controlling and punishing women, which may have sounded a bit ridiculous had I not read this book. But the evidence is all there. Why else force a grieving woman to experience the pain of labour and the heartbreak of giving birth to a fetus that would never have survived?
*It is wild the amount of people parroting the claim that the pill makes women choose less masculine men. All those crazy harpies on the pill and their Timothee Chalamet fandom, what is the world coming to? Next they'll be asking for human rights!
No, but really. Serious people are saying this seriously. Even though this was reported in one study of 170 women (Little et al, 2013) and when they expanded the study to a far more impressive 6,482 women (Little, et al 2019), they found "no evidence" for changed preference.
August 12, 2024
I haven't (yet) read this book, but I am preemptively rating it 5 stars in an attempt to counteract the bogus and misinformed reviews left by other people who also haven't read this book. Bodily autonomy is a right, abortion is not murder, and I look forward to hearing Jessica Valenti's take on this subject.
September 30, 2024
This is a really great overview of what is going on with abortion and how to talk about it and combat anti-abortion talking points and policy. She explains how this happens and the language and attitudes that made abortion bans possible as well as the "why" behind it all. It is a short book, but it does feel a little redundant in parts.
October 5, 2024
✨SIX STAR BOOK✨and one of the best books I’ve read this year. And, the best book about abortion I’ve read yet (though I can’t wait to read more from the suggested books in the resources section!)
If you’re pro abortion and/or pro choice, you HAVE to read this. Not only is is full of everything we need to know about today’s fight for abortion access, it’s so incredibly well written and easy to comprehend the truth happening in the US today. I found myself highlighting throughout constantly and appreciated how eloquent yet accessible the writing was.
This is one of those books where no review I write will do it justice. So tldr, read this. Immediately.
If you’re pro abortion and/or pro choice, you HAVE to read this. Not only is is full of everything we need to know about today’s fight for abortion access, it’s so incredibly well written and easy to comprehend the truth happening in the US today. I found myself highlighting throughout constantly and appreciated how eloquent yet accessible the writing was.
This is one of those books where no review I write will do it justice. So tldr, read this. Immediately.
October 10, 2024
This book is sharp, clear-eyed, unbelievably depressing, necessary. Valenti has obviously made this her issue; she's done her research into every aspect of this topic -- every bill currently on the docket, every legal case, every strategy by the extremist anti-abortion right. She explains all of this in crystal clear detail, backed meticulously by evidence. More importantly, she illuminates what these extremists plan to do next -- come for birth control, no fault divorce, every other aspect of bodily autonomy -- and what we can do to combat these plans. I especially appreciate the way she dispels a variety of abortion and birth control myths, and offers advice on ways to talk about these issues that refuse to cede ground and instead acknowledge a key fact: abortion and birth control are actually wildly popular in this country. No one wants what the far-right is selling.
October 9, 2024
I've pre-ordered the book and look forward to reading it. I read Jessica Valenti's newsletter, Abortion Every Day, every day. She is the subject matter expert on the current abortion landscape, the truths of abortion bans, and the many secondary harms that result from them. Thank you for doing this work, Ms. Valenti.
September 29, 2024
An absolute masterclass from the incomparable Jessica Valenti. I don’t know how she does the work that she does without constantly raging and/or breaking down and/or never being able to get out of bed.
This book is equal parts infuriating and enlightening, and really cuts to the quick of what the anti-abortion movement (aided and abetted by the Republican Party) has been working toward for the last 50 years, as well as their objectives in 2024 and beyond. They are attempting to gaslight the American public into believing abortion is a polarizing and divisive issue when in reality the majority of Americans think the matter should be between a pregnant person and their chosen medical provider. They are saying “hey look there’s exceptions to our BANS” (they don’t love this word, but yknow, a spade is a spade etc) when in reality, the exceptions are so layered in bullshit language that they become inaccessible to those seeking care.
Valenti takes a deep dive into the fight for bodily autonomy in a (cursed) timeline that is seeing more and more bans passed under the guise of “protecting women” and other nonsense. I remain heartened by the fact that most times abortion has been on the ballot, voters have overwhelmingly voted to protect access to abortion. May that continue, see ya in Roevember etc.
Anti-abortion activists are not going to stop at abortion—conservatives have begun targeting birth control, doubling down on spreading scientific misinformation, planning to infect the educational system with junk science as they seek to indoctrinate children (because they know voters under 30 overwhelmingly support reproductive rights.)
This book, and the arguments laid out in the birth control chapter in particular, was terrifying and enraging (and deeply compelling.)
**** Highlights: (reading a DRC and don’t have page number but I’ve noted the chapter numbers)
- DIDNT EVEN CONSIDER THIS but was SHOOK when Valenti wrote “and that leads to the final, most insidious reason the anti-abortion movement opposes abortion medication. The pills robbed them of their favorite pastime: harassing women at clinics. Women’s ability to end a pregnancy at home with just a few pills—safely, privately, at home, without shame—was too much for them to take.” SHOTS!!!! FIRED!!!! (Chapter 1)
- “The real question is, if Republicans believe that America is a “pro-life” country, then why are they working so hard to keep voters from having a choice?” MHMMMMMM!!! (Chapter 2)
- the fact that MILLIONS of women now live in a “double desert” (no abortion care OR maternity care) because of increasingly draconian laws meaning there are fewer OB-GYNs available and/or doctors don’t want to work in a state where they could potentially be thrown into jail for providing a standard of care to their patients. DOUBLE DESERT!!!!!!! Infuriating and so fucking sad.
- brief discussion of trad wives and the Venn diagram overlap of trad wives + advocating against birth control. “What better way to quiet the next generation of girls, growing up in a country without reproductive rights, than to tell them it’s actually progress? That not having access to birth control would be good, actually? They’re making sexism aspirational.” (Chapter 4)
- the shift from straight up anti-abortion talking points to PARENTAL RIGHTS (Blech) because they KNOW Republicans are getting an ass kicking at the polls, so now let’s focus on pArEnTaL rIgHtS 🙃🙃🙃 k.
Also these two quotes from chapter 9 metaphorically kicked my teeth in:
“They were never going to stop at our bodies, and this never was just about abortion. Once you understand that abortion bans are just one tool in a much broader campaign to put women back in their place-and to strengthen white male control over everyone else-all the other, related Republican attacks make much more sense.”
“I don't know what's worse: dying in the darkness of a back alley, or in full view under fluorescent lights.
They're both tragic, but there's something particularly cruel about the idea of dying while surrounded by those with the ability to save you.”
This book is equal parts infuriating and enlightening, and really cuts to the quick of what the anti-abortion movement (aided and abetted by the Republican Party) has been working toward for the last 50 years, as well as their objectives in 2024 and beyond. They are attempting to gaslight the American public into believing abortion is a polarizing and divisive issue when in reality the majority of Americans think the matter should be between a pregnant person and their chosen medical provider. They are saying “hey look there’s exceptions to our BANS” (they don’t love this word, but yknow, a spade is a spade etc) when in reality, the exceptions are so layered in bullshit language that they become inaccessible to those seeking care.
Valenti takes a deep dive into the fight for bodily autonomy in a (cursed) timeline that is seeing more and more bans passed under the guise of “protecting women” and other nonsense. I remain heartened by the fact that most times abortion has been on the ballot, voters have overwhelmingly voted to protect access to abortion. May that continue, see ya in Roevember etc.
Anti-abortion activists are not going to stop at abortion—conservatives have begun targeting birth control, doubling down on spreading scientific misinformation, planning to infect the educational system with junk science as they seek to indoctrinate children (because they know voters under 30 overwhelmingly support reproductive rights.)
This book, and the arguments laid out in the birth control chapter in particular, was terrifying and enraging (and deeply compelling.)
**** Highlights: (reading a DRC and don’t have page number but I’ve noted the chapter numbers)
- DIDNT EVEN CONSIDER THIS but was SHOOK when Valenti wrote “and that leads to the final, most insidious reason the anti-abortion movement opposes abortion medication. The pills robbed them of their favorite pastime: harassing women at clinics. Women’s ability to end a pregnancy at home with just a few pills—safely, privately, at home, without shame—was too much for them to take.” SHOTS!!!! FIRED!!!! (Chapter 1)
- “The real question is, if Republicans believe that America is a “pro-life” country, then why are they working so hard to keep voters from having a choice?” MHMMMMMM!!! (Chapter 2)
- the fact that MILLIONS of women now live in a “double desert” (no abortion care OR maternity care) because of increasingly draconian laws meaning there are fewer OB-GYNs available and/or doctors don’t want to work in a state where they could potentially be thrown into jail for providing a standard of care to their patients. DOUBLE DESERT!!!!!!! Infuriating and so fucking sad.
- brief discussion of trad wives and the Venn diagram overlap of trad wives + advocating against birth control. “What better way to quiet the next generation of girls, growing up in a country without reproductive rights, than to tell them it’s actually progress? That not having access to birth control would be good, actually? They’re making sexism aspirational.” (Chapter 4)
- the shift from straight up anti-abortion talking points to PARENTAL RIGHTS (Blech) because they KNOW Republicans are getting an ass kicking at the polls, so now let’s focus on pArEnTaL rIgHtS 🙃🙃🙃 k.
Also these two quotes from chapter 9 metaphorically kicked my teeth in:
“They were never going to stop at our bodies, and this never was just about abortion. Once you understand that abortion bans are just one tool in a much broader campaign to put women back in their place-and to strengthen white male control over everyone else-all the other, related Republican attacks make much more sense.”
“I don't know what's worse: dying in the darkness of a back alley, or in full view under fluorescent lights.
They're both tragic, but there's something particularly cruel about the idea of dying while surrounded by those with the ability to save you.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2024
I have not read this but I do follow the author and find her very impressive. I look forward to reading this. I’m giving this five stars because others, who haven’t read this either, are giving it one star reviews. I’ll read it and redo this “review”, by which time hopefully real reviews will be in place. I do have a hold on the book at my library system.
November 13, 2024
this is an amazing and insightful read that I recommend any women pick up. It opens your eyes to even more than you think you knew about abortions and the regulations on them that continue to happen around us. being a women is so hard and scary right now, and its important to educate and advocate for our bodies. i found myself getting mad and feeling empathy for the women discussed. Powerful read
November 10, 2024
Wow. I didn't know what I didn't know. Please read.
October 21, 2024
Between the individual stories shared in this book, and Valenti’s depictions of the broader implications to women’s rights beyond “abortion”, this book will stick with me for a long time.
October 5, 2024
Jessica always says it well and brings facts to support. Republicans are working to remove access to all forms of contraception. Abortion is healthcare and it’s that simple.
October 30, 2024
Very surreal to read about a campaign that I was a part of! I really appreciate the nuance and accessibility Valenti brings to the table when talking about abortion.
October 30, 2024
I am now horrified to read about how conniving anti-abortion people/groups are. The lengths they go to ban people from getting abortions for any reason even if they are having a miscarriage.
It really shows this group only cares about being “right” not about women.
It really shows this group only cares about being “right” not about women.
September 9, 2024
Rating before reading to hopefully counter the negative reviews not based on the book, but on their views of the author and the content.
November 15, 2024
Such a heartbreaking read following the election outcome. The tangible damage (primarily the preventable passings of many women) since the overturning of Roe make the upcoming Trump administration terrifying. This book is full of important testimonials and threatening legislations, and fully justifies the point that abortion is simply critical healthcare.
To sum it up: “Pregnancy is too complicated to be legislated.”
To sum it up: “Pregnancy is too complicated to be legislated.”
November 7, 2024
Jessica made me want to run through a goddamn wall for my rights- I feel so much better equipped to have difficult conversations, and I feel better know that we have people like her on our side. Must read for all women and the few men that love women
Read
October 15, 2024A must read, even if you think you know everything you need to know about abortion/abortion rights. Surprised myself with how much I didn’t know.
October 24, 2024
Ten stars. Jessica Valenti said that this book isn't preaching to the choir, it's arming the choir, and that's exactly what it does. Read it. And VOTE!
October 15, 2024
First few chapters were slow (but this opinion might be a product of having lived through this drama 2x with SB8 followed by Dobbs), but Valenti’s writing and incisive reporting pulled some punches beginning with the “Punishment is the Point” chapter. I wish this could be assigned reading for anyone who thinks feminist are being dramatic about the erosion of reproductive rights EVERYWHERE. Will be re-reading. 5 stars.
October 19, 2024
This book was excellent. Timely, poignant, powerful, informative, and terrifying. Everyone should read this book and defend the freedom of women. If I don’t have control and freedom over my own physical body and what happens to it, then I am not free.
As the author says, “I want to live in a country {world} that sees women’s lives as valuable beyond their ability to have babies.”
As the author says, “I want to live in a country {world} that sees women’s lives as valuable beyond their ability to have babies.”
September 26, 2024
I’ve subscribed to her column for a few months and have been eagerly awaiting the book - I don’t have very many American cousins but I do worry about them - this gives me a glimmer of hope - they may not get universal healthcare this election or rein in their military-industrial complex, but with the help of this writer and now this book, one thing is about to change for the better.
October 17, 2024
I will start by saying that I could only manage one chapter of this book per night, as it made me so incredibly angry. Abortion: Our Bodies, Their Lies, and the Truths We Use to Win is an offshoot of Jessica Valenti’s “Abortion, Every Day” substack, and is full of infuriating, upsetting, and incredibly vital information about a weaponized healthcare issue.
Valenti doesn’t need lies, hyperbole, or purple prose. This concise guide lays out the facts, describes the tragedies abortion bans have caused, and the tricks that certain politicians and groups use to attempt to trick voters. The fact that this very personal issue is still being discussed in open forums by men with absolutely no medical training (or in some cases, a gross misunderstanding of how the female body works) makes me so depressed. And US voters have spoken; the majority are not in favor of banning abortion.
I think everyone should read this book; it is eye-opening. Abortion is not a “women’s issue”, it’s a human rights issue. Huge respect to Valenti for keeping emotion out of this book, and arming readers with vital knowledge.
Valenti doesn’t need lies, hyperbole, or purple prose. This concise guide lays out the facts, describes the tragedies abortion bans have caused, and the tricks that certain politicians and groups use to attempt to trick voters. The fact that this very personal issue is still being discussed in open forums by men with absolutely no medical training (or in some cases, a gross misunderstanding of how the female body works) makes me so depressed. And US voters have spoken; the majority are not in favor of banning abortion.
I think everyone should read this book; it is eye-opening. Abortion is not a “women’s issue”, it’s a human rights issue. Huge respect to Valenti for keeping emotion out of this book, and arming readers with vital knowledge.
October 22, 2024
This is the must read book for our times.
October 25, 2024
This was very well researched and written. I learned a lot from it and I wish everyone would read it.
November 15, 2024
An absolute must read.
October 20, 2024
This book should be required reading for anyone on the fence about or involved in the fight to protect abortion access in the United States. I consider myself to be a relatively well-informed citizen, and Jessica’s book revealed how much deeper the horrors of abortion bans actually go. I appreciate her dedication to peeling back the truly ugly layers of this fight.
October 21, 2024
If only every person voting against reproductive rights would read this or understand what exactly they’re voting against. Such a good book and so important, especially right now.
October 25, 2024
This short book is a terrifying but excellent overview of everything that has been happening since the fall of Roe. A must read before the election.
November 1, 2024
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ
Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews