What do you think?
Rate this book
The Human Drama of Abortion: A Global Search for Consensus
Abortion 101, an accessible account of abortion practices and ethical issues around the globe, for students, activists, and policymakers
Deeply touched by the tragedies of botched abortions that they witnessed as medical students and young physicians in Chile in the 1940s and later around the world, the authors have attempted in their professional lives and now in this book to establish a framework for dialogue to replace the polarization that exists today.
Doctors Faundes and Barzelatto use their decades of international work to document the personal experiences of different classes of women in different countries and those countries' policies and practices. No other book provides such a comprehensive and reasoned examination of the entire topic of abortion, from the medical to the religious and ethical and from the psychological to the legal, in plain language understandable by non-specialists.
The central thesis is that there are too many induced abortions in the world today, that most are preventable and should be prevented--a middle ground that both pro-life and pro-choice advocates can accept. The first part of the book reviews why women have abortions, as well as the magnitude and consequences. The second part examines values. The third part discusses effective interventions. The final part states conclusions about what can be done to reach a necessary social consensus.
The Portuguese edition of this book was issued at the very end of 2004. The Spanish edition, launched in mid-2005, is already in a second printing. The authors are making presentations at special events sponsored by universities, professional associations, and feminist networks in Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and the United States.
Deeply touched by the tragedies of botched abortions that they witnessed as medical students and young physicians in Chile in the 1940s and later around the world, the authors have attempted in their professional lives and now in this book to establish a framework for dialogue to replace the polarization that exists today.
Doctors Faundes and Barzelatto use their decades of international work to document the personal experiences of different classes of women in different countries and those countries' policies and practices. No other book provides such a comprehensive and reasoned examination of the entire topic of abortion, from the medical to the religious and ethical and from the psychological to the legal, in plain language understandable by non-specialists.
The central thesis is that there are too many induced abortions in the world today, that most are preventable and should be prevented--a middle ground that both pro-life and pro-choice advocates can accept. The first part of the book reviews why women have abortions, as well as the magnitude and consequences. The second part examines values. The third part discusses effective interventions. The final part states conclusions about what can be done to reach a necessary social consensus.
The Portuguese edition of this book was issued at the very end of 2004. The Spanish edition, launched in mid-2005, is already in a second printing. The authors are making presentations at special events sponsored by universities, professional associations, and feminist networks in Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and the United States.
216 pages, Paperback
First published July 28, 2006
2 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 16, 2020
An excellent read. It definitely has a pro-choice bent, but it's a comprehensive overview of abortion substantiated by reliable case studies. The book discusses why women have abortions; safe vs. unsafe abortions; religious, ethical, and legal values. Most importantly, it examines how by helping prevent unwanted pregnancies in the first place we can reduce the amount of abortions, and even though I'm steadfastly pro-choice, that is what I want, too.
Plus, so much of the abortion debate in the U.S. is based on religious values, which are (horrifyingly) misrepresented as universal ethics or even legal values. About twenty pages of the book is focused on what the major religions (Judaism, Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and, in one section, three ancient Chinese religions) have historically thought about abortion, which was fascinating to learn about.
Plus, so much of the abortion debate in the U.S. is based on religious values, which are (horrifyingly) misrepresented as universal ethics or even legal values. About twenty pages of the book is focused on what the major religions (Judaism, Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and, in one section, three ancient Chinese religions) have historically thought about abortion, which was fascinating to learn about.
July 12, 2020
Súper sencillo de leer, ideal para recomendar a quienes quieran dar los primeros pasos en el tema, sin importar edad o inclinación ideológica. Los datos son ajustables al 2020. Abordaje bastante empático.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews