Liberating Abortion

Many of us weren't taught the birds and the bees in medically accurate, sex-positive ways. Liberating Abortion reveals how lawmakers have used restrictions on abortion to bar people of color from wielding their power and controlling their bodies and lives — relegating them to poverty and perpetuating racist and xenophobic stereotypes. To envision a new, more encompassing future centered in reproductive justice, award-winning reproductive rights activist Renee Bracey Sherman and journalist Regina Mahone talk in-depth with a variety of Black women about building a world where women can choose to have safe and healthy pregnancies on our own terms, as well as pleasurable sex that affirms our bodies and beings. As two Black women who have had abortions and have experienced the anti-Blackness of the so-called "pro-life" movement, they have crafted a book that truly reflects their decision-making, and that of other people of color who have abortions, offering an entirely different viewpoint that invites those who are most often silenced to speak.

Offering support and affirmation to women who've had abortions but have been too afraid or ashamed to speak openly, the authors remind us that the stigma we feel, often perpetuated by the media, is by design. This is a book for young people of color who will have abortions and believe they're alone — as we once did. This is the book we wish we'd had. And this is a book for all who wonder where to stand in the ongoing debate around reproductive freedom.

"[Bracey Sherman and Mahone's] informative text will help young women especially to navigate difficult decisions. An affirmative vision that places abortion within a social justice context, calling for equitable support for all families." Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

"Liberating Abortion is an unabashed defense of abortion as an essential part of reproductive justice, inextricably tied to our right to parent on our own terms. Based on compelling stories of people of color who had and advocate for abortions, Bracey Sherman and Mahone contest the racist, sexist and unscientific myths that stigmatize abortion and they issue a no holds barred manifesto for abortion care — for anyone, anywhere, at any time, and for any reason. This book is the rebellious call for reproductive freedom we need right now." Dorothy Roberts, author of Killing the Black Body and Torn Apart

"The truth about abortion is sometimes uncomfortable. Abortion is medical care. It saves lives and families even if anti choice voices want to pretend otherwise. Here, Renee Bracey Sherman and Regina Mahone lay bare the truth compassionately and thoroughly. A necessary and breathtaking look at the past and the future, Liberating Abortion challenges us all to look past the buzzwords and political rhetoric to the humanity." Mikki Kendall, author of Hood Feminism

Renee Bracey Sherman is a reproductive justice activist, abortion storyteller, and writer. She is the founder and co-executive director of We Testify, an organization dedicated to the leadership and representation of people who have abortions and share their stories at the intersection of race, class, and gender identity. She is also an executive producer of Ours to Tell, an award-winning documentary elevating the voices of people who've had abortions, and co-host of The A Files: A Secret History of Abortion, a podcast from The Meteor. She lives in Washington, DC.

Regina Mahone is a writer and editor whose work explores the intersections between race, class, and reproductive rights. As a senior editor at The Nation magazine, she edits articles on a range of topics, including national politics, and runs Repro Nation, a monthly newsletter about global efforts to protect reproductive freedom. She and her co-author, We Testify Founder and Executive Director Renee Bracey Sherman, are co-hosts of the podcast The A Files: A Secret History of Abortion from The Meteor. Regina has written for publications including Cosmopolitan, Elle, Rewire News Group, Romper, The Nation, and Truthout. She lives in New Jersey with her partner and two children.