Product Description Based on the struggle over a Fargo, North Dakota, abortion clinic, Contested Lives explores one of the central social conflicts of our time. Both wide-ranging and rich in detail, it speaks not simply to the abortion issue but also to the critical role of women's political activism. A new introduction addresses the events of the last decade, which saw the emergence of Operation Rescue and a shift toward more violent, even deadly, forms of anti-abortion protest. Responses to this trend included government legislation, a decline in clinics and doctors offering abortion services, and also the formation of Common Ground, an alliance bringing together activists from both sides to address shared concerns. Ginsburg shows that what may have seemed an ephemeral artifact of "Midwestern feminism" of the 1980s actually foreshadowed unprecedented possibilities for reconciliation in one of the most entrenched conflicts of our times.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting look at BOTH sides of the debate in a small townMarch 4, 2006 A. Slade(Washington, DC United States) I read this book in College.
It's not a definitive work of the entire debate, but does raise different sides of the argument regarding choice and abortion. I found it to be a balanced book. The author spoke to women engaged in the Choice debate from both sides of the fence one town/city. WHile this may not be the case now, the women knew eachother and eachother's organizations, and were, in some cases, very collegial. I would recommend this book quite highly.
