| Title: | The Story of Abortion in America |
| Subtitle: | A Street-Level History, 1652–2022 |
| Published: | January 03, 2023 |
| ISBN-10: | 1-4335-8044-6 |
| ISBN-13: | 978-1-4335-8044-4 |
| Category: |
Culture & Social Issues
History & Biography Marriage & Family |
| Retail Price: | $39.99 |
| Binding: | Hardcover w/ Jacket |
| Trim: | 6.0 in x 9.0 in |
| Page Count: | 512 |
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Press Materials:
Tracing the History of Abortion in America by Looking beyond the Laws to the Dramatic Stories and Colorful Personalities of the People They Touched
Fifty years ago, the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision to legalize abortion-on-demand sparked nationwide tensions that continue to this day. In the decades since that ruling, abortion opponents and proponents have descended on the Capitol each year for marches and protests. But this story didn’t begin with the Supreme Court in the 1970s; arguments about abortion have been a part of American history since the 17th century. So how did we get here?
The Story of Abortion in America traces the long cultural history of this pressing issue from 1652 to today, focusing on the street-level activities of those drawn into the battles willingly or unwillingly. Authors Marvin Olasky and Leah Savas show complex lives on both sides: Some sacrificed much to help the poor and others sacrificed the helpless to empower themselves. The Story of Abortion in America argues that whatever happens legally won’t end the debate, but it will affect lives.
Authors:
Marvin Olasky (PhD, University of Michigan) is a senior fellow of the Discovery Institute and an Acton Institute affiliate scholar. He is the author of twenty-eight books, including The Tragedy of American Compassion and Lament for a Father. From 1983 through 2021 he was a professor at the University of Texas at Austin and the editor in chief of WORLD. He and his wife, Susan, have four sons.
Leah Savas reports on abortion for WORLD News Group, where she writes the weekly Vitals roundup and newsletter of pro-life news. Leah lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with her husband, Stephen.
Product Details
Table of Contents
Foreword by Robert P. George
Introduction: The Life or Death of Innocent Life
Chapter 1: Street Level vs. Suite Level
Section One: Unsafe, Illegal, and Rare, 1652–1842
Chapter 2: Common Law, Common Sense
Chapter 3: Murder of a Man Child
Chapter 4: Pressuring the Father
Chapter 5: Bitter Execrations
Chapter 6: An Oath for Midwives
Chapter 7: Double Robbery of Life
Chapter 8: A Fallen Pro-Life Founder
Chapter 9: Laws and Scofflaws
Chapter 10: Insufficient Protection for Women
Section Two: Specialization Begins, 1838–1878
Chapter 11: A Fatal Needle
Chapter 12: The Welfare of Two Patients
Chapter 13: Madame Restell
Chapter 14: An Unstoppable Force?
Chapter 15: A Moral Maelstrom
Chapter 16: The Unwelcome Child
Chapter 17: Doctors Push Back
Chapter 18: Massacres
Chapter 19: Compassion vs. Abortion
Chapter 20: Thugs of Society
Section Three: Supply and Demand, 1871–1940
Chapter 21: A Much Pulverized Reporter
Chapter 22: The Victims Are . . .
Chapter 23: So Much Rascality
Chapter 24: Horror Stories at Century's End
Chapter 25: Medical Heroines
Chapter 26: The Erring Women’s Refuge
Chapter 27: Weak-Kneed Enforcement
Chapter 28: Old-School Abortionists
Chapter 29: Twentieth-Century Compassion
Chapter 30: Million-Dollar Hands
Section Four: Seeing Life, 1930–1995
Chapter 31: Linkages
Chapter 32: Complicated Lives
Chapter 33: Losing the Baby
Chapter 34: Playing the Danger Card
Chapter 35: The Father of Abortion Rights
Chapter 36: Eroded Ethic
Chapter 37: On the Disassembly Line
Chapter 38: Pro-Life Frustration
Chapter 39: Pictures Seen and Unseen
Chapter 40: Cacophony and Compassion
Section Five: Still Unsettled, 1995–2022
Chapter 41: Window to the Womb
Chapter 42: Loving Your Unborn Neighbor
Chapter 43: Sensational Facts
Chapter 44: A Sanitized Image
Chapter 45: Aborting Alone
Chapter 46: Incremental vs. Radical
Chapter 47: The Abortion-Industrial Complex
Chapter 48: A New Enforcement Mechanism
Chapter 49: Their One Person
Chapter 50: Egregiously Wrong
Epilogue
Bibliography
Other Books by Marvin Olasky
General Index
Scripture Index
Endorsements
“A riveting story of the history of abortion by two ‘street-level’ researchers who tell us real stories of real people who have sought abortions, provided abortions, and lobbied for change in the abortion laws. Spanning nearly four hundred years of abortion history, Olasky and Savas transport us back in time to help us understand that there has always been abortion among women ‘seduced by men, money, or the religion of self.’ Many of these abortions were coerced, and the chilling narratives of these coercions throughout history are not for the faint of heart. Readers will be moved to tears by the stories, many of them transcribed from published accounts of the very words of the women who have been victims of the abortion industry and those who support it. We meet many of the craven abortion providers on these pages—the infamous Madame Restell, as well as a long list of lesser-known profiteers who have grown rich by ending the lives of unborn children. It is a tragic history, but Olasky and Savas do not leave us bereft of hope.”
Anne Hendershott, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Veritas Center for Ethics in Public Life, Franciscan University
“Under the reign of Roe v. Wade, abortion became ‘normal.’ But it wasn’t always that way in our nation, as this book explains. Now that the Supreme Court has removed its imprimatur from abortion-on-demand for any reason through all nine months of pregnancy, how do we restore respect for the tiniest among us and care for their mothers? Olasky and Savas provide crucial historical context for this effort, and everyone from the newly minted pro-life student to the battle-worn anti-abortion veteran will glean valuable insight from these pages.”
Kristan Hawkins, President, Students for Life Action and Students for Life of America
“What an amazing work! Olasky and Savas have made an important contribution on a topic that is both so controversial and also so essential to the understanding of what America has become and what it will be as a nation in the future. Indeed, this book is a reminder that our nation’s abortion history is linked to its destiny, especially if we seek to offer compassion, hope, and help to those at risk for abortion and their vulnerable unborn children.”
Roland C. Warren, President and CEO, Care Net; author, Raising Sons of Promise: A Guide to Single Mothers of Boys
“Olasky and Savas convey a largely unknown, and as yet unfinished, account of the deep struggle between individual and human rights, worldviews and wickedness. The Story of Abortion in America captures the real and raw nature of the battleground over, and for, the unborn. In these pages you’ll find selfless servants and the profiteering powerful. Just as other great moral issues have stretched and torn the fabric of America, so has abortion. This work should be read by everyone concerned for the soul of America.”
Jor-El Godsey, President, Heartbeat International
“The Story of Abortion in America is a tour de force providing a chronicle of the history of abortion that is impeccably documented with near-cinematic realism. The facts are compelling, the human beings—including the unborn—are vividly portrayed, and the interpretations are invariably thoughtful. There is enough in this landmark work to upset easy conclusions about abortion across the full spectrum of opinion. Anyone who wrestles with this topic, as Olasky has done for a lifetime and Savas now follows, must grapple with this account on an issue that will not, and must not, go away.”
Chuck Donovan, President, Charlotte Lozier Institute
“This remarkable and timely book should become the go-to narrative for anyone seeking to understand the tragic history and innumerable human costs of abortion in America. I recommend it enthusiastically.”
Thomas S. Kidd, Yeats Endowed Chair of Baptist Studies, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
“In this book that is more than just a history of abortion in America, Olasky and Savas have amassed an impressive account through real-life stories of how abortion has impacted everyday people over the centuries. The detailed stories were often tragic and heartbreaking and remind us that, truly, it is everyday people who matter most in the abortion debate. It is astonishing to read how much has changed about abortion over the centuries, but also how much really has not. Those who face unplanned pregnancies and those who seek to help them are the ones who write the real life-and-death stories of abortion and are also the ones who can change the world for the better, one life at a time. This captivating book will certainly help cultivate some of that needed change.”
Anne O’Connor, Vice President of Legal Affairs, National Institute of Family and Life Advocates
“The Story of Abortion in America is a big story, a momentous story, that extends to the most consequential of human experiences. The story of the past three hundred and seventy years, told here so clearly and deeply sourced, is largely a tragedy; it is up to us to determine what the rest of the story will be.”
Frederica Mathewes-Green, speaker; author, Real Choices: Listening to Women, Looking for Alternatives to Abortion
“This book is a vital armament in the post-Dobbs fight.”
National Catholic Register