This title is printed to order. This book may have been self-published. If so, we cannot guarantee the quality of the content. In the main most books will have gone through the editing process however some may not. We therefore suggest that you be aware of this before ordering this book. If in doubt check either the author or publisher’s details as we are unable to accept any returns unless they are faulty. Please contact us if you have any questions.
This book traces issues surrounding abortion and abortion practices in the United States through the lens of multiple disciplines, including sociology, anthropology, philosophy, community health, theology, and political science. In so doing, it parallels the interdisciplinary nature of feminist and women’s studies, situating the issue of abortion within a wider understanding of the impact of reproduction on women’s lives and their health. The contributing authors provide an accessible summary of the issues surrounding the topic of abortion, and the essays reflect both original research and scholarly discourse on existing research and literature. The first three essays set forth theoretical issues from sociological, medical, and political points of view, discussing the evolution of the abortion debate in the United States along with a summary of various abortion methods from a health and medical perspective. The next essay, an anthropological case study of women’s views on abortion and family planning in rural Illinois, serves as a bridge to the remaining essays - providing a turn from theory to academic practices. The remaining essays examine a number of topics, including a study of the popular novel and film
The Cider House Rules
as a litmus for social opinion and normative beliefs on modern abortion; the biological and theological concerns related to abortion within the context of the mind/body dualism of Western thought; a case study of an abortion that was psychologically problematic for one woman and the role of counseling in healing such problems; and, the plausibility of a feminist Kantian perspective in addressing quality of life issues and other moral considerations of abortion.
