cover image Birth or Abortion?: Private Struggles in a Political World

Birth or Abortion?: Private Struggles in a Political World

Kate Maloy, M. Patterson, K. Maloy. Plenum Publishing Corporation, $26.95 (344pp) ISBN 978-0-306-44327-5

In a sensitive and generally balanced attempt to ``keep the human faces of a profound moral dilemma plainly in view,'' Maloy, a freelance writer, and Patterson, a journalism professor at Duquesne University, profile 50 women as each chooses either to continue or to terminate a pregnancy. The participants have variously confronted abortion between the 1950s and the late 1980s; coming from a wide range of economic, cultural and racial backgrounds, the subjects also address a variety of challenges, from genetic threats to financial burdens. From their reporting, the authors conclude that specific practical and emotional considerations determine a woman's choice. They note that while deciding whether or not to abort, the women they profiled rarely used the highly charged moral and political language used in public debate, and suggest that abortion-rights advocates and right-to-life defenders must seek common ground. The thesis of the book--that abortion is right for some and wrong for others, and that only the involved parties can arrive at the best decision--represents a pro-choice position. (Oct.)