The War on Choice: The Right-Wing Attack on Women's Rights and How to Fight Back

Too often the fight against a woman's choice has been focused on the most controversial of issues, abortion. Don't let that distract you from how the extreme right has been trying to get contraceptives, including the Pill, declared an "abortifacient." Don't let it distract you from the Global Gag Rule, the first thing that George W. Bush signed into office, which prohibits health clinics from giving a woman counseling on or an actual abortion, even in the case of health risks and if the clinic is using its own funds. Gloria Feldt opened my eyes after years of bombardment from conservative radio, and I know she'll do it for you, too.

This book really illustrates why we pro-choice women need to be on guard. The Bush Administration and ultra-conservative groups are fully mobilized against American women and our right to choose how and when we reproduce. I was especially interested in the chapters on how to fight back. A great read if you want a toolkit for becoming an active pro-choice feminist.

Until recently I never paid that much attention to reproductive rights. I knew that I was pro-choice, and I was lucky enough to attend a private high school that offered real sex-ed (including information on contraception and STDs) and not just abstinence-only classes. But The War on Choice demonstrated for me that reproductive rights aren't just about women - they are about men too, both as women's partners and in their own right. While issues like abortion may be more relevant to women, although they affect men as well of course, things like medical privacy are equally important no matter what your gender. Any man who thinks that because he's male he doesn't have to worry about his reproductive rights should read this book and think again.

I'm a liberal-leaning guy so I've always prided myselfon my sensitivity to women's issues and myunderstanding of the importance of women's rights. Buteven so, Gloria Feldt's book The War on Choice was aneye-opener. No matter how much you think you know,it's hard to get the bird's eye perspective you reallyneed to understand the extent of the attacks onreproductive rights that are happening today. Thisbook will give you that view. Feldt covers everythingfrom AIDS to birth control to abortion to the SupremeCourt and the legal definition of personhood, and shepaints a chilling but compelling portrait of thethreats being posed to everyone's rights, reproductiveand otherwise. The corruption of science with narrowideology and the right-wing's disregard for personalprivacy are only a few of the dangers facing each ofus that we should all be working to combat - andFeldt's book can show us where to start.

Growing up during the 80s and 90s I always took myreproductive rights for granted. I'm somewhatpolitically active, so I certainly knew that my rightswere being threatened. But even as a well-educatedwoman, I had no idea of the scope of the attacks on myrights. Some of the anti-choice activities that Feldtchronicles are obvious ones that I already knew about.Going to a liberal school and always having access tobirth control, however, I never really felt that Ipersonally would be affected by them. But what wasreally amazing about The War on Choice was the way itexplained the insidious connections between seeminglyunrelated attempts to make the fetus a person and denywomen access to abortion and birth control andwhatever other family planning services they want orneed. This book was a true awakening - after readingit I was certainly disturbed, but I was also motivatedand energized. You will be too!