Abortion: Our Bodies, Their Lies, and the Truths We Use to Win by Jessica Valenti

Abortion: Our Bodies, Their Lies, and the Truths We Use to Win Reviews

• 
  Moriah Story

  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.
• 
  Traci Thomas

  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.
• 
  Lindsey Bluher

  ✨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.
• 
  Trin

  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.
• 
  Jenna

  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.
• 
  Sage

  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.”
• 
  Joan

  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.
• 
  Tricia

  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.
• 
  Kate

  Rating before reading to hopefully counter the negative reviews not based on the book, but on their views of the author and the content.
• 
  Daniel

  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.
• 
  Christine

  Disclaimer: I received an ARC via Netgalley.
  
  My mom has a friend who is a supposedly devout Catholic and who is completely anti-abortion. He votes Republican because of abortion, and only because of abortion. He presents himself as a good caring man, and maybe he actually is to other people. But last year, when I was recovering from a lumpectomy, I received an email from him. The email stated I was not doing enough to care for my mother and that caring for our parents as they grow older is a duty. He knew, he said, that I had health issues at the moment, but I needed to do more far more for my mother, to put her first as a good daughter should. Now, I got this email when I was recovering from surgery and basically, one armed for six weeks. The things that he claimed I hadn’t been doing broke down into two groups: (1) those I had already done before surgery and (2) those I offered to do before the surgery but my mom said no, and because of the surgery I couldn’t do at that time. At no point in the email was there an offer of help. I was furious in part because of the unjustness of the accusations, but also because this man knew that I had been caring for my mother (and my brother) for years and, more importantly, he never took care of his own parents. His sisters did. (In fairness, his sisters and parents lived in Canada; he lived in the US). This man knew that my brother had died of cancer a year before my cancer surgery and chose to make a very stressful time more stressful. Needless to say, after I replied, I blocked him.
  
  I thought about him a lot while reading Valenti’s excellent book about abortion because he really is the type of guy she is writing about. It is the casual cruelty dressed up in religious language and tone. The cruelty is a point. And people think because they cloak themselves in religious language that the charge wouldn’t sick.
  
  Valenti’s book about abortion is more about the arguments and strategies that anti-choice groups use to outlaw abortion. She looks at not only the impact of the laws but also the why. Basically, the why is controlling or punishing of women. But Valenti also addressed the actually science behind pregnancy and the fact that the majority of Americans support the right of women to chose. She showcases the effects of abortion bans – the difficulty of women to get out of state for an abortion (and how that might become illegal), the difficulty of proving that a woman needs an abortion for her own life. There are footnotes and citations. It is a well documented book, and as such debunks many claims that anti-choice people make about abortion.
  
  Valenti’s book is born in part out of her Abortion, Everyday newsletter, but her analysis of certain aspects is particularly striking. The sections that discuss how the media reports on the abortion debate are great because of the examination of language. The morning after pill, for example, is not an abortifacient, something the media rarely directly says. Language is important; it is why pro-life is used instead of anti-choice. One sounds better than the other. Valenti notes that in some cases, anti-choice group uses strange language to describe an abortion that they see as acceptable – a separation for instance when talking about an abortion due to an ectopic pregnancy.
  Her in depth look at the Crisis Pregnancy Centers run by anti-choice groups is horrifying, especially when governmental funds go into. How some states are addressing teaching pregnancy is also rage inducing. She also addresses the question of access not only to abortion put to good maternal care (over five million women in the US live in counties where there is little or no maternal care).
  
  Valenti links much of the laws and would be laws back to how segments of society view women and what they see as a woman’s place. Why else arrest a woman who had miscarriage? It should also be noted that Valenti details how the impact is greater on women of color.
  
  Valenti also addresses how various law makers address the issue (her description of Ted Cruz will make you laugh just a little). She also links abortion laws to threats to access to birth control, such as the forementioned morning after pill. But Valenti doesn’t only address law makers who are anti-choice; she points out how pro-choice lawmakers could be more vocal about being pro-choice.
  
  Perhaps the book’s best bit is at the end. Here Valenti includes not only further reading material, but also a fact sheet so that a reader can easily present facts to conflicted parties. This was really nice touch.
  
  While Valenti, rightly, says she does not debate anti-choice speakers, this book is an engaging primer on how to discuss abortion and to recognize attempts to curtail reproductive freedom.
  
• 
  Katie

  I first came across Jessica Valenti's work on abortion rights shortly after the Dobbs decision overturned the precedent of Roe v Wade. Both her Tiktok updates and her independent journalism in her newsletter have been a lifeline in a time where I have felt discouraged, frightened, and so damn angry. This book, Abortion, stems from the work of Abortion, Every Day. Valenti's newsletter tracks the daily (yes, daily!) ramifications of a post-Roe landscape, from developments in harsh anti-abortion legislation, to growing gynecological care deserts in states with abortion bans, to the cruel health and civil rights impacts of these bans on women generally and pregnancy specifically. In this book, Valenti synthesizes the recurring issues she has observed in the newsletter for pro=choice citizens to have a clear-eyed view on the intentional cruelty in Republican anti-abortion strategy. The chapters refute widely proliferated anti-abortion propaganda, break down common anti-abortion rhetoric, and lay out the facts to refuse normalization of this new landscape so that we can better fight for our rights.
  
  This book is crucial but very emotionally difficult to read. Valenti unflinchingly explains the deliberate cruelty of conservative anti-abortion policy. Her clear-eyed prose is accessible and compassionate to the people who are suffering under these antidemocratic policies, plainly laying out the horror of widespread restrictive abortion bans. I found myself having to take frequent breaks so that I could process my own anger over this inhumane and dangerous new status quo. You do not need to be an activist to read this book. This is essential reading for anyone who cares at all about the right to govern one's own body.
  
  I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Peter Z.

  Don't worry, you're "heard", and the question is absolutely open on having an abortion and what the rules or restrictions might be.
  
  And, thanks to the supreme court, you now have the right to decide this issue on a state by state basis, as the Founding Fathers intended. So, if you don't want abortion to be available, you can move to a state that forbids it completely. And if you believe you should be able to murder a baby as long as she still has a single toe in the birth canal, you can go to a state that allows it, whack your own baby, and no prison time. In some places, the doctor can even kill the baby after she's born, and still no prison time!
  
  What happens when you get to the pearly gates, that's between you and somebody way above my rank. Good luck with that.
• 
  Janet

  This book feels incredibly timely, very much focused on the last two years post-Dobbs, and how the unthinkable has become everyday. Valenti is shockingly clear about how the tragedies we are now seeing are orchestrated, on purpose, and how the people who orchestrated them do not care and will not dial things back. Instead, they will double down, lie, obfuscate, make things up, etc. Some of the concepts are familiar if you read Valenti’s "Abortion, Every Day" (like how a "consensus" is a ban by another name, and how there’s no such thing as exceptions to abortion bans). But to see it all together in one book is powerful, devastating, and undeniable. Highly recommend reading and sharing with others.
  
  Thank you to NetGalley and Crown for the opportunity to read this book early.
• 
  Kim Bongiorno

  If you would like accurate information and statistics about abortion, birth control and healthcare for people who can get pregnant in the United States, read or listen to this book. NOW.
  
  It is important to know what something looks like to be able to see it, address it and have fruitful conversations about it. This book helps with that in clear language with easy-to-follow examples.
  
  Whether you just want to sift through the muck of messaging on abortion or are seeking tools and talking points to help protect access to it (and birth control), this book is for you.
  
  Available now via:
  jessicavalenti.com
  Your favorite booksellers
  
  Free via:
  Your local library or Libby app
  Spotify Premium accounts
  
  See also:
  Your Guide to Abortion Resources at
  https://jessica.substack.com/p/resources
• 
  Mychel Vandover

  This book is incredibly powerful and a must read if you want to learn more about reproductive rights (especially abortion) and politics. Jessica breaks everything down very clearly and succinctly, just like she does in her incredible newsletter. I had to frequently stop reading the book for brief periods because many of the stories she relates are so infuriating. I grew up "pro-life" and incredibly conservative, but came out of it thanks to lots of people. Jessica shows just how dangerous the Right is to women (especially women of color) or other people who can get pregnant. Please read this to educate yourself and then get involved to the extent you can. Also, subscribe to her newsletter "Abortion Everyday" which is a part of the same work that this book is doing.
• 
  Elizabeth K

  This review was originally submitted to NetGalley August 28, 2024, and should have been automatically reproduced here.
  
  I’m about halfway through this book and I can say it’s an excellent resource. If you regularly read Valenti’s newsletter, Abortion, Every Day, much of the material will be familiar. But we are not the audience for this book. It’s a book you can give to your auntie or friend group or who ever it is in your life who is pro-choice but unaware of the severity of the ongoing threat to reproductive healthcare. Share this book!
  
  Thank you, #netgalley and Crown for providing this ARC.
  
• 
  Lauren Dickerhoof

  Jessica writes the most honest and straightforward information about abortion that I have ever come across. If you follow her newsletter religiously, you’ve likely read a lot of what she covers in here, but honestly, I didn’t mind the reminders. If you’re new to the subject and the fight, this is a great place to start. It’s heartbreaking and you can feel her anger in her words…I know a lot of us want to feel validated in that anger, and this will certainly do that for you.
  
  And if you don’t follow her newsletter, sign up now!!
• 
  Suzanne Gibbs

  Please, everyone, READ THIS BOOK! You may or may not agree with ALL of it, but ignorance is its own ghastly beast. The abortion debate is not an either-or situation. Rather, in my opinion, it should never have become a debate at all. Real lives are at stake. Everything about being an American is at stake. Women wouldn't even need the "protection of laws" if we were already seen as full and respected humans.
• 
  Maria

  Wow. I've been following Valenti for a long time, so nothing in here really surprised me. But my goodness, women's bodies in America are under so much threat. A good reminder that we have to continue to protect our reproduction freedoms in Canada. I read this as an audiobook in 2 rage-fueled sessions while doing a jigsaw. A timely publication - get out and vote America!
• 
  Jolynn

  If you are looking for a brief and to the point summary of the landscape for reproductive health care and politics post-Dobbs, this is a great book to pick up and to share with friends who are interested in the far reaching consequences of Dobbs for the health, autonomy, privacy, and equality of women in America.
• 
  Katayoon

  The sheer amount of information that the author was able to gather and share, so eloquently, is astonishing. While I was reading, at times it felt like I was having a conversation with a friend. The author wrote the book in a way that allows the reader to understand these overwhelming and complex concepts with ease while also creating an emotional connection to a heavy topic. Loved it!
• 
  Julia

  I listened to the audiobook read by the author. I was prepared for difficult material. I wasn't expecting how angry it would make me. Valenti's blunt writing style is meant to shock and provoke. She was asked if she's preaching to the choir but retorted she's arming them.
• 
  Clementine

  powerful, important, practical, and ultimately hopeful. i'm so glad i bought a copy of this because i can see myself returning to it to shore up my facts and next steps in the fight to restore human rights.
• 
  Chris

  Rating this 5 stars before release to counteract the review bombing, don't normally review a book without finishing it. Will update rating and write a real review once I have read the book.
• 
  Stacey

  A must-read!
• 
  Peace

  Must read this 👏 📖