Editor's note: This post was originally published on May 6, 2022. It has been updated to reflect the Supreme Court ruling.
Nearly 50 years ago, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its decision in Roe v. Wade, extending constitutional protection to Americans seeking to terminate a pregnancy. In the decades since, the debate for and against abortion access in the US raged on, and with the decision to overturn Roe, reproductive justice is again at the forefront of American politics. These nonfiction audiobooks, from scientific and historical chronicles to personal memoirs, offer critical perspectives and reportage on a battle that continues to be fought.
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It’s been well documented that abortion existed before Roe v. Wade, with underground circles rallying behind pregnant folks to offer them safe services. Few were as impactful as Jane, a Chicago group that connected those in need with doctors willing and able to administer abortion care. Written by a member of Jane, this enlightening history emphasizes the importance of solidarity and centering those who have lived through and were impacted by the illegality of abortion in the US.
Though many of us have lived through the fight for reproductive freedom, it might be news to younger generations that the precedent set by Roe is in peril. In this accessible guide geared toward young adults, the late, acclaimed journalist Karen Blumenthal offers a thorough background on abortion access before and after Roe—and all the controversy ahead.
Throughout the modern feminist movement, the voices of Black women have been routinely silenced. Dorothy Roberts’s unflinching history emphasizes why the battle for reproductive justice is entwined with an antiracist ideology, offering an incisive look at the ways in which Black women have been stripped of their bodily autonomy through eugenics, medical experimentation, and sexual exploitation.
It’s impossible to discuss the fight for reproductive justice and freedom without considering the monumental medical development of the contraceptive pill. Zeroing in on four champions of birth control—Margaret Sanger, Katharine McCormick, Gregory Pincus, and John Rock—this listen traces the journey from the pill's early ideation and trials to pushback and controversy to the dawn of the sexual revolution.
A legal scholar focused primarily on reproductive justice, sexuality, and constitutional law, Mary Ziegler is a deeply qualified source on the legal history of abortion in the United States and how the movement to secure reproductive rights seized the attention of the American populous—and changed politics forever.
Public debate about abortion access is often rooted in extreme examples of the most extraordinary circumstances. In Scarlet A, professor Katie Watson pivots the focus to the routine nature of ordinary abortion services, emphasizing their status as necessary health care for women that need not be politicized or cloaked in shame.
To understand the direct impact that access (or lack of access) to abortion services has on women, Diana Greene Foster’s landmark scientific study, following 1,000 women over 10 years, offers the most compelling data we have to date. The study’s findings are juxtaposed with personal narratives that bring emotional depth to the comprehensive reporting.
Ann Fessler’s courageous memoir chronicles her experience as an adoptee who had been surrendered in the years before Roe v. Wade, and her subsequent journey to reconnect with her birth mother. She then skillfully interweaves more than 100 other personal stories to offer a moving and polyphonic history of women compelled to surrender their children.
Gloria Steinem’s acclaimed memoir, performed by Debra Winger with an introduction read by the author, is a pillar of feminist literature. It’s also approachable, intimate, and invigorating, ensuring Steinem’s nomadic journey of activism, community-building, and organizing will continue to inspire new generations.
This freshly released chronicle of the work of clinic escorts—those who help provide safe access for people seeking abortions—is one of the newest accounts from the front lines of abortion care. Their firsthand stories offer a personal window into the brave and dedicated efforts of this volunteer workforce.
In her moving memoir, Dr. Susan Wicklund, who until her retirement was one of the sole abortion providers in some areas of the Midwestern US, chronicles an extraordinary 20-year career. The continual target of violent threats and harassment, Wicklund reveals how her own teenage abortion and commitment to helping women inspired her throughout her dramatic life and impactful work.
As earnest as it is emotional, Mira Ptacin’s memoir chronicles the anguish of carrying a child with health issues so severe that they would never survive outside the womb—and the grief of ultimately terminating the pregnancy. Eliminating the language of the political, Poor Your Soul is a deeply personal look at the realities of abortion and the necessity of choice and reproductive freedom—even when such a decision feels impossibly painful.
The medical procedure of abortion has often been shrouded in shame, which can be effectively countered by the sharing of personal stories. In You’re the Only One I’ve Told, Dr. Meera Shah compiles a variety of true abortion accounts, representing a range of backgrounds and experiences. The result is a listen as stigma-shattering as it is moving and sincere.
Dr. Willie Parker, an abortion provider in the deep American South, sheds some light on the morality of protecting choice in Life’s Work. Drawing on both his professional practice and his identity as a Christian, Parker emphasizes the need for compassion without condition while also highlighting the myriad obstacles that both patients and providers encounter in states where access to abortion is limited or illegal.
Plaintiff Jane Roe is known to practically every American, as the pseudonym used in her Supreme Court case is a common refrain in political rhetoric. But beyond the symbolism and odd fame that followed her, the person behind that alias—Norma McCorvey—was a woman living in Texas, unable to receive the abortion care she desperately needed. In this 2022 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction, journalist Joshua Prager details the years he spent alongside McCorvey, revisiting the case, sorting through documents, and ultimately unearthing a fuller, more human portrait of the Roe v. Wade case than ever explored before.
While the historical context of reproductive rights is essential, perhaps the most pressing question is, Where do we go from here?
This practical guide offers a vision, detailing methods for securing abortion access, especially for marginalized groups and lower economic classes, who will bear the brunt of policy change. From notes on protest and engaging with lawmakers to tips for self-managing a medical abortion, this comprehensive volume speaks to our current moment.
