Title: Back rooms : voices from the illegal abortion era /
Authors: Messer, Ellen.; May. Kathryn E.
Publisher: Prometheus Books,
Year: 1994
Subjects: Abortion, Criminal; Abortion United States Case studies.; Abortion Moral and ethical aspects Case studies.; United States; United States.
Abstract: Those who came of age after 1973 cannot remember the days before Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. Back Rooms presents the moving testimony of women - and men - who cannot forget. This landmark oral history vividly conveys the stark choices women with unwanted pregnancies faced before abortion was legalized. Here are poignant stories of illegal "back-room" abortions and harrowing accounts of self-induced miscarriages, as well as the testimony of women who were forced to give birth on society's terms, not their own. At a time when mounting pressure from anti-abortion activists increasingly challenges the Roe v. Wade decision, this book lends authority and moral clarity to the pro-choice position.
Contents: Back alleys, dark streets -- Out of wedlock -- Leaving the country -- You made your bed, now lie in it -- Desperate measures -- Bitter testimony -- Easing the burden -- A voice from the darkness.