We Choose To: A Memoir of Providing Abortion Care Before, During, and After Roe

by Curtis Boyd, Glenna Halvorson-Boyd

"An invaluably intimate glimpse at a delicate subject. It's a must-read."
Publishers Weekly (starred review)

We Choose To is a story of love, shared humanity, and the power of choosing to stare injustice in the face and do something about it.
Cecile Richards, former President of Planned Parenthood

In this deeply personal account, Dr. Curtis Boyd and Dr. Glenna Halvorson-Boyd reflect on their lives in abortion care, from the childhood experiences that shaped their paths to the Supreme Court decision that forced the closure of their Dallas clinic.

Their stories begin in the 1960s, as Curtis opens a clandestine abortion practice while breaking with the beliefs of his Baptist family and Glenna pursues psychology while coming to understand the world of restrictive gender roles. When the two of them meet shortly after abortion is legalized, they bond over a common commitment to women, forming a professional and personal partnership that will weather the coming decades.

We Choose To is the story of that partnership, and the staff and patients that have shaped the history of modern abortion. In these pages, Curtis and Glenna share their holistic, morally rooted approach to their work. Led by a desire to empower patients, they advance abortion and mental health care further than ever even as they find themselves at the center of a controversial new issue in American life.

Sweeping, introspective, and deeply honest, We Choose To is a rare portrait of abortion providers and the world in which they work, where abortion is not a talking point in a culture war but a private, even spiritual, act.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Feminism, Politics

240 pages, Paperback

Published September 10, 2024

Reviews

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this book the same day it arrived in the mail! This memoir is a story of love, courage, and social conscience. It explores what we do and why, the ways we change over time and how we come to make those changes, and it opens a window into what it means to care for pregnant people, for women, and for families by way of healthcare and abortion services. Dr. Curtis Boyd and Glenna Halvorson-Boyd, PhD, RN, are both partners and pioneers in their field. This book chronicles the history of the years pre- and post- Roe. It offers a perspective on how two genuinely kind people became leaders in a movement, providers of good care. They think carefully about the world and about how to make the world a better, fairer, more compassionate place. The philosophies and thought processes described in this book rang bells for me - they are many of the ideas that shaped who I am and who I am becoming. This memoir is well-written, engrossing, truly beautiful, and most of all it made me feel a recommitment to being the kind of person who can stand beside people like Curtis and Glenna, doing meaningful work, contributing to equality, working for what matters. Heartening, stabilizing, inspiring, especially in times like these.

[ava fusco · Rating 4 out of 5]

a brave book by brave people

[Lilia Zaparaniuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Refreshing to finally have a book that provides a different perspective on womens healthcare - from their providers. A thoughtful and informative read and a must for anyone who wants to get educated and have a voice about womens healthcare.

[Robyn]

Notables 2024 #112

[Richard Derus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4* of five

The Publisher Says: Although the Dallas Fire Department had saved the clinic, we were shaken and heartsick that our son had just spent Christmas Day at a crime scene. I had performed my first abortion in the year Kyle was born, and though he had long supported our work, he now felt worried for us in ways he’d never expressed. As we stood near the ruins, breathing fresh air in gulps, he said, “Do you have to keep doing this work?”

We were both silent for long moments before I simply said, “No. We choose to.”

In this deeply personal account, Dr. Curtis Boyd and Dr. Glenna Halvorson-Boyd reflect on their lives in abortion care, from the childhood experiences that shaped their paths to the Supreme Court decision that forced the closure of their Dallas clinic. Their stories begin in the 1960s, as Curtis opens a clandestine abortion practice while breaking with the beliefs of his Baptist family and Glenna pursues psychology while coming to understand the world of restrictive gender roles. When the two of them meet shortly after abortion is legalized, they bond over a common commitment to women, forming a professional and personal partnership that will weather the coming decades. We Choose To is the story of that partnership, and the staff and patients that have shaped the history of modern abortion.

In these pages, Curtis and Glenna share their holistic, morally rooted approach to their work. Led by a desire to empower patients, they advance abortion and mental health care further than ever even as they find themselves at the center of a controversial new issue in American life. Sweeping, introspective, and deeply honest, We Choose To is a rare portrait of abortion providers and the world in which they work, where abortion is not a talking point in a culture war but a private, even spiritual, act.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: If you're wondering what kind of person is drawn to resist social injustice, read this joint memoir by two powerfully rooted in faith people. They set themselves out to provide care for women who were not being served in their time of need by any system allegedly meant to do so.

I'm strongly anti-religion because people like the authors are far too seldom to be found in the ranks of churchgoers. These people are exemplars of walking the walk while self-awarely not talking the most frquently heard talk from the faith they once shared.

I emerged from this read far more ready to smile about the world's future. These deeply admirable people have raised kids and lived lives of service and, by example, inspired others. What more can one ask?

Thank you both for sharing your motivations and reasons for being genuinely good.

[s · Rating 5 out of 5]

an excellent book on abortion care from two providers' perspectives, intertwined with their own memoirs. a profoundly moving book that serves to center the humanity of both abortion providers and of patients, which is all too often overlooked in the broader debate.

the book's emphasis on memoir works to great effect in its discussion of abortions, as when the authors discuss their personal friend george tiller. a necessary counterbalance to abortion discussions that (understandably) center on policy, this book reminds us, as the title says, that abortion is a vital form of care. since they are primarily concerned with the medical procedure of abortion more than its politics, the boyds have an unusual authority and ability to create space here for the complex emotions that their patients felt, and the most compelling parts of the book are those which explore those feelings in detail with great warmth and without judgment or evaluation. glenna halvorson-boyd's account of her work in finding ways to aid patients in processing their emotions is particularly powerful.

because the authors' careers spanned both sides of the roe regime, the book may also be of great interest to those looking for a path forward after dobbs. though the authors are not policymakers or political operatives and do not lay out a political path forward, they offer something equally valuable: a first-hand account of pathbreaking work that reminds us that while legal regimes may change, people will always find a way to care for each other, and no amount of political repression or threatened violence will put an end to that.

[Sharon Kayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

We Choose To is a highly engaging memoir on an increasingly important topic. With chapters by both Dr. Boyd and Dr. Halverson-Boyd, we get to know two people who were so dedicated to the care of others that they took on great personal risk in order to provide it. Dr. Boyd did not seek to provide abortion care, but when faced with desperate patients, he found he could not turn them away. Working in a state where abortion was criminalized pre-Roe, he had to pioneer safe, effective treatment because such basic care was not taught in school. Dr. Halverson-Boyd pioneered the supportive care that is needed when a woman faces one of the most emotional decisions in her lifetime. It has its heart-breaking stories, including one in which a colleague asks for Boyd’s help in providing care later in the term. She had had to turn away a patient because she didn’t have the expertise to provide care, and the desperate young woman had then thrown herself to her death from her hotel window. Being an Albuquerquean, I have driven by the Boyd clinic thousands of times. I always knew the great value it held in the community, but I had no idea the depth of history that was made by the two physicians who ran it. An ultimately hopeful look at reproductive care that has value to readers no matter what the laws are where you reside.

[Laura Alonso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book about the history of abortion in the US from the pov of abortion Doctors. I was impressed and touched by the way they cover all kind of cases, single women, married couples, complications, improvements to the medical procedures, terrorist attacks, even the unfortunate and seldom events in which a patient doesn’t make it.

I recommend it to anyone interested in women issues and history. It helped me better understand what happens medically after a woman makes this very personal decision.

[Tania · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible book about healthcare in America. Honest, personal, moving. A must-read for anyone interested in the evolution of access to women's healthcare from the perspective of people providing it. Read it for lessons, wisdom, and — importantly — hope in a post-Roe era.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A courageous, informative, and tender storytelling of what it’s like to be raised with faith, trust science, and as a provider, choose bravery everyday because it’s the right thing to do. I wish this was a required read in schools everywhere.

[Anika Schwarz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible book that spoke to my formerly religious self, my medical curiosity, and my compassion for folks in need of abortion access. It was fascinating and heartbreaking and uplifting. Easily a new favorite book.

[David Medina · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most personal and powerful books I’ve read.

Helps make clear what is at stake in this election.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have such mixed feeling about this book, but mostly, I think it does what it sets out to do: create a level of compassion for the women who make the difficult decision to get an abortion.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and important book.