Obstacle Course: The Everyday Struggle to Get an Abortion in America

by David S. Cohen, Carole Joffe

It seems unthinkable that citizens of one of the most powerful nations in the world must risk their lives and livelihoods in the search for access to necessary health care. And yet it is no surprise that in many places throughout the United States, getting an abortion can be a monumental challenge. Anti-choice politicians and activists have worked tirelessly to impose needless restrictions on this straightforward medical procedure that, at best, delay it and, at worst, create medical risks and deny women their constitutionally protected right to choose.

Obstacle Course tells the story of abortion in America, capturing a disturbing reality of insurmountable barriers people face when trying to exercise their legal rights to medical services. Authors David S. Cohen and Carole Joffe lay bare the often arduous and unnecessarily burdensome process of terminating a pregnancy: the sabotaged decision-making, clinics in remote locations, insurance bans, harassing protesters, forced ultrasounds and dishonest medical information, arbitrary waiting periods, and unjustified procedure limitations.

Based on patients' stories as well as interviews with abortion providers and allies from every state in the country, Obstacle Course reveals the unstoppable determination required of women in the pursuit of reproductive autonomy as well as the incredible commitment of abortion providers. Without the efforts of an unheralded army of medical professionals, clinic administrators, counselors, activists, and volunteers, what is a legal right would be meaningless for the almost one million people per year who get abortions. There is a better way--treating abortion like any other form of health care--but the United States is a long way from that ideal.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, Gender and Sexuality, Medical, History, Social Justice

296 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 18, 2020

About the author

David S. Cohen is a professor of law at Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law, where he teaches constitutional law, reproductive rights, and gender and the law. Prior to teaching, Cohen was a staff attorney at the Women's Law Project. He is currently on the board of the Women's Law Project and the Abortion Care Network. He has co-authored two books about abortion in the United States -- Obstacle Course: The Everyday Struggle to Get an Abortion in America (2020) and Living in the Crosshairs: The Untold Stories of Anti-Abortion Terrorism (2015).

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provides a great overview of the barriers that people encounter when accessing abortion, a safe, legal medical procedure, in the U.S. today. It’s a great read for those unfamiliar with the depth of these barriers, and a good refresher for those who are all too familiar with them. Having worked in reproductive health for nearly 15 years, I still got a lot out of reading this. I highly recommend it!

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A (difficult) must-read if you care about women’s health.

[Derek Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great & hard to read. These authors do a phenomenal job detailing all of the obstacles women & pregnant people go through to access their constitutional right to abortion.

Pros: The way the book is broken down into sections is brilliant - from coming to the decision of getting an abortion, to paying for it, to arriving at the clinic, these authors are able to break down each and every obstacle that pregnant people face.

Cons: None. This wasn’t too dry as books such as this tend to be.

Overall: 5/5 stars. I learned a lot & I’ve already recommended to a few friends.

[Hayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliantly informative read that’s really well-organized with both qualitative and quantitative data throughout!

[Madison Lands · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feel like this book would make anyone who is middle-of-the-road on abortion rights realize that such right important and very much at risk. Abortion is a super safe and necessary medical procedure. This book addresses the many laws that are put in place to stop it under the guise of making it safer, and show how they are actively harming and making the procedure more dangerous.

[Meera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Must read!!