Sometime in the past, I read Sarah Weddington's (who argued Roe v. Wade) original account, A Question of Choice. I found a 40th anniversary edition (2013). One of many books on the subject (e.g., read one by Laurence Tribe) I have read throughout the years. Be interesting if I found one that covers other efforts (Liberty and Sexuality briefly covers this ground) of the many other cases, including Doe v. Bolton also lead by women advocates. The charm of the copy I found was that not only did she sign it, but the previous head of Planned Parenthood who wrote a new introduction (Cecile Richards) did as well.
On some level, this is suitable Mother's Day reading -- the basic question of choice regarding motherhood is at stake. Weddington herself had an illegal (if safe) Mexican abortion in the 1960s but never did have children (yes, some might disagree). Many others who had abortions were already or later on did. The author of the ruling had three daughters. One good book I found that summarizes the history of abortion and includes many first person accounts of women who had them (Abortion and Life) has a woman pregnant (the author) on the cover. Motherhood includes a mix of things, including in a plurality of the total cases, abortions.
A previous entry referenced this book, but will add a few words now that it is completed. It is best for the details on leading up to (including winning state office) and after (she worked in the Carter Administration though she didn't provide her role in RBG being appointed judge, even though now she is justice -- the original was written twenty years before). She slips up (you can listen and read along her arguments and you might catch a couple mistakes) there but overall good. At times, you wish she added a bit more -- Linda Coffee basically disappears though then briefly pops up when the t.v. movie is referenced (one I saw back in the day) -- but good. Also, she is not clear that basically after Carter lost re-election she went into academia.
The update is a tad disappointing. The original appears to have ended with Thomas being appointed including her testimony against and then you'd think we would move on to Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Nope. It is briefly referenced near the end (with the stupid mistake that O'Connor alone wrote the opinion). Instead, we basically get boilerplate on her anti-abortion forces increased, general statements about the opposition and the importance of choice and then a list of things to do. The things that happened since 1993 were somewhat touched upon, yes, but in a way that left something to be desired. For instance, a snapshot of RBG being appointed (again, she was "there" when Carter appointed her the first time) would have been nice. Instead, RBG is briefly mentioned a few times.
So, get the book for completeness, but the original is basically as good. One little quirk -- the author, like the author (Marvella Bayh) of another book recently read knew Lady Bird Johnson. Her husband died the day Roe v. Wade was decided, but she lived until 2007. I checked, and her real name was Claudia, though her nickname (Wikipedia says it basically became her official name) allowed repeated use of the "LBJ" initials (even the dog). Perhaps, there will a fiftieth anniversary edition in a few years.
On some level, this is suitable Mother's Day reading -- the basic question of choice regarding motherhood is at stake. Weddington herself had an illegal (if safe) Mexican abortion in the 1960s but never did have children (yes, some might disagree). Many others who had abortions were already or later on did. The author of the ruling had three daughters. One good book I found that summarizes the history of abortion and includes many first person accounts of women who had them (Abortion and Life) has a woman pregnant (the author) on the cover. Motherhood includes a mix of things, including in a plurality of the total cases, abortions.
A previous entry referenced this book, but will add a few words now that it is completed. It is best for the details on leading up to (including winning state office) and after (she worked in the Carter Administration though she didn't provide her role in RBG being appointed judge, even though now she is justice -- the original was written twenty years before). She slips up (you can listen and read along her arguments and you might catch a couple mistakes) there but overall good. At times, you wish she added a bit more -- Linda Coffee basically disappears though then briefly pops up when the t.v. movie is referenced (one I saw back in the day) -- but good. Also, she is not clear that basically after Carter lost re-election she went into academia.
The update is a tad disappointing. The original appears to have ended with Thomas being appointed including her testimony against and then you'd think we would move on to Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Nope. It is briefly referenced near the end (with the stupid mistake that O'Connor alone wrote the opinion). Instead, we basically get boilerplate on her anti-abortion forces increased, general statements about the opposition and the importance of choice and then a list of things to do. The things that happened since 1993 were somewhat touched upon, yes, but in a way that left something to be desired. For instance, a snapshot of RBG being appointed (again, she was "there" when Carter appointed her the first time) would have been nice. Instead, RBG is briefly mentioned a few times.
So, get the book for completeness, but the original is basically as good. One little quirk -- the author, like the author (Marvella Bayh) of another book recently read knew Lady Bird Johnson. Her husband died the day Roe v. Wade was decided, but she lived until 2007. I checked, and her real name was Claudia, though her nickname (Wikipedia says it basically became her official name) allowed repeated use of the "LBJ" initials (even the dog). Perhaps, there will a fiftieth anniversary edition in a few years.
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Thanks for your .02!