No real choice : how culture and politics matter for reproductive autonomy / Katrina Kimport.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kimport, Katrina, 1978- author.

Series:

Families in focus.

Families in Focus

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Abortion--United States.

Abortion.

Abortion--Government policy--United States.

Abortion--Political aspects--United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (213 pages)

Place of Publication:

New Brunswick, New Jersey : Rutgers University Press, [2022]

Summary:

In the United States, the “right to choose” an abortion is the law of the land. But what if a woman continues her pregnancy because she didn’t really have a choice? What if state laws, federal policies, stigma, and a host of other obstacles push that choice out of her reach? Based on candid, in-depth interviews with women who considered but did not obtain an abortion, No Real Choice punctures the myth that American women have full autonomy over their reproductive choices. Focusing on the experiences of a predominantly Black and low-income group of women, sociologist Katrina Kimport finds that structural, cultural, and experiential factors can make choosing abortion impossible–especially for those who experience racism and class discrimination. From these conversations, we see the obstacles to “choice” these women face, such as bans on public insurance coverage of abortion and rampant antiabortion claims that abortion is harmful. Kimport's interviews reveal that even as activists fight to preserve Roe v. Wade, class and racial disparities have already curtailed many women’s freedom of choice. No Real Choice analyzes both the structural obstacles to abortion and the cultural ideologies that try to persuade women not to choose abortion. Told with care and sensitivity, No Real Choice gives voice to women whose experiences are often overlooked in debates on abortion, illustrating how real reproductive choice is denied, for whom, and at what cost.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

1. No Real Choice

2. Policies, Poverty, and the Organization of Abortion Care

3. Privileging the Fetus

4. Seeing Irresponsibility and Harm

5. Fearing the Experience of Abortion

6. Choosing a Baby

7. Toward Reproductive Autonomy

Methodological Appendix

Acknowledgments

References

Index

About the Author

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [177]-196) and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-9788-1795-9

OCLC:

1272997874