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The War on Choice: The Right-Wing Attack on Women's Rights and How to Fight Back
Accessible and impassioned, here is an eye-opening look at the right wing strategy to reverse the gains American women have made over the past 50 years. The War on Choice chronicles the actions being taken at the highest levels of government to turn back the clock on women's rights.
With the White House acting in anti-choice lockstep with the majorities in both House and Senate, religious extremists are now in key decision-making posts, our federal judiciary is filled with recent appointees whose values are drastically out of step with the pro-choice sentiments of the majority of the American people, abstinence-only sex education is now the rule, ideology has trumped science in domestic and global health policy, and the Supreme Court balance in favor of reproductive freedoms is perilously close to toppling. But while many of the individual facts are known, no one until now has connected all the dots and drawn the Big Picture that shows exactly how radical and how successful this quiet revolution has been.
Judge by judge, law by law, and appointee by appointee, The War on Choice speaks the truth about what is happening, and also tells the stories of some of the women whose lives have been affected by these court decisions and federal policies. A keen analysis of current events, combined with a hands-on plan of action for those who want to raise their voices in protest, this book will be riveting reading.
And there is no one better equipped to write about the insidious, step-by step chipping away of rights, or about what we can do to fight back, than Gloria Feldt, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Her thirty years of work with the organization combined with her personal experience - as a woman who came out of the same West Texas political landscape as did George W. Bush but faced a very different economic and social reality as the mother of three children by the age of 20 make her the ideal spokeswoman for those who are alarmed by the current political climate.?
This book will be a wake-up call, describing in jaw-dropping detail the story of what the anti-choice movement is doing to the rights to birth control, abortion and privacy.?
With the White House acting in anti-choice lockstep with the majorities in both House and Senate, religious extremists are now in key decision-making posts, our federal judiciary is filled with recent appointees whose values are drastically out of step with the pro-choice sentiments of the majority of the American people, abstinence-only sex education is now the rule, ideology has trumped science in domestic and global health policy, and the Supreme Court balance in favor of reproductive freedoms is perilously close to toppling. But while many of the individual facts are known, no one until now has connected all the dots and drawn the Big Picture that shows exactly how radical and how successful this quiet revolution has been.
Judge by judge, law by law, and appointee by appointee, The War on Choice speaks the truth about what is happening, and also tells the stories of some of the women whose lives have been affected by these court decisions and federal policies. A keen analysis of current events, combined with a hands-on plan of action for those who want to raise their voices in protest, this book will be riveting reading.
And there is no one better equipped to write about the insidious, step-by step chipping away of rights, or about what we can do to fight back, than Gloria Feldt, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Her thirty years of work with the organization combined with her personal experience - as a woman who came out of the same West Texas political landscape as did George W. Bush but faced a very different economic and social reality as the mother of three children by the age of 20 make her the ideal spokeswoman for those who are alarmed by the current political climate.?
This book will be a wake-up call, describing in jaw-dropping detail the story of what the anti-choice movement is doing to the rights to birth control, abortion and privacy.?
326 pages, Paperback
First published April 13, 2004
8 people are currently reading
1356 people want to read
About the author
Gloria Feldt
16 books41 followersGloria Feldt is an acclaimed expert on women, power, and leadership with frontline leadership experience, a bestselling author, and in-demand keynote speaker. Her newest book Intentioning: Sex, Power, Pandemics and How Women Will Take The Lead launched September 28, 2021 and is available from your favorite bookseller.
She is co-founder and president of Take The Lead, whose mission reflects her life’s passion: to prepare, develop, inspire, and propel women to take their fair and equal share of leadership positions across all sectors by 2025 by providing breakthrough training, mentoring and coaching role modeling, and thought leadership.
Gloria is the bestselling author of five books including in addition to Intentioning; No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power , which plus her own real world experience, forms the core of Take The Lead’s programs.
She is formerly president and CEO of the world’s largest reproductive health and advocacy organization, Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She was named by Vanity Fair one of “America’s Top 200 Women Leaders, Legends, and Trailblazers,” Glamour’s “Woman of the Year,” She Knows Media Inspiring Woman, Women’s eNews 21 Leaders for the 21st Century, Women Economic Forum Circle of Light award, Texas Monthly’s Texas 20, Martin Luther King Living the Dream Award, Diversity Leadership Alliance Diversity Leader Award, and Forbes 40 Over 40.
She teaches “Women, Power, and Leadership” at Arizona State University. Feldt has been widely quoted and published, including by the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, The Daily Beast, Forbes, Fast Company, Time, Huffington Post, Glamour, Elle and Ms. She has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, the Today Show, Good Morning America and The Daily Show, and an infinite number of podcasts. Her own podcast is “Power TO You.”
Gloria is an awesome chili maker. She and her husband Alex Barbanell live in New York City and Scottsdale, Arizona; they share a combined family of six children and 15 grandchildren, so there is never a dull moment in their lives. She spends too much time on social media and invites you to connect with her there @GloriaFeldt.
She is co-founder and president of Take The Lead, whose mission reflects her life’s passion: to prepare, develop, inspire, and propel women to take their fair and equal share of leadership positions across all sectors by 2025 by providing breakthrough training, mentoring and coaching role modeling, and thought leadership.
Gloria is the bestselling author of five books including in addition to Intentioning; No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power , which plus her own real world experience, forms the core of Take The Lead’s programs.
She is formerly president and CEO of the world’s largest reproductive health and advocacy organization, Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She was named by Vanity Fair one of “America’s Top 200 Women Leaders, Legends, and Trailblazers,” Glamour’s “Woman of the Year,” She Knows Media Inspiring Woman, Women’s eNews 21 Leaders for the 21st Century, Women Economic Forum Circle of Light award, Texas Monthly’s Texas 20, Martin Luther King Living the Dream Award, Diversity Leadership Alliance Diversity Leader Award, and Forbes 40 Over 40.
She teaches “Women, Power, and Leadership” at Arizona State University. Feldt has been widely quoted and published, including by the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, The Daily Beast, Forbes, Fast Company, Time, Huffington Post, Glamour, Elle and Ms. She has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, the Today Show, Good Morning America and The Daily Show, and an infinite number of podcasts. Her own podcast is “Power TO You.”
Gloria is an awesome chili maker. She and her husband Alex Barbanell live in New York City and Scottsdale, Arizona; they share a combined family of six children and 15 grandchildren, so there is never a dull moment in their lives. She spends too much time on social media and invites you to connect with her there @GloriaFeldt.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 27, 2009
There are few things that get me worked into a tizzy (which is an awesome word BTW), and antichoice actions and pro-choice rights are one of them. Who says a white man in a suit can judge how a woman handles the body? Besides, it is not a perfect world, I not anyone else is here to make someone else's decision. It takes a lifetime of experiences to guide us and determine how we get to our end point.
June 19, 2012
The only reason for 3 stars is because the book was written before consolidated war against women's contraceptive rights began to sweep through the country.
The loss of access to contraceptives would have profound impact on our way of life today: The entrance of women into the workforce, the ability to decide when and how many children a family could have, and the burgeoning care of health care in the country.
I wonder if the companies who feel they shouldn't have to pay for birth control have considered how much employee health costs if they had to pay for more and more pregnancies and births.
Not only women, but also men should fight back against this attack women and against the American way of life.
The loss of access to contraceptives would have profound impact on our way of life today: The entrance of women into the workforce, the ability to decide when and how many children a family could have, and the burgeoning care of health care in the country.
I wonder if the companies who feel they shouldn't have to pay for birth control have considered how much employee health costs if they had to pay for more and more pregnancies and births.
Not only women, but also men should fight back against this attack women and against the American way of life.
July 20, 2018
I haven't technically finished this yet. I'm not even close. I have to read it in stages because I get so riled up about it that I start having pretend fights with pro-lifers in my car on the way to work if I don't take it in stages. If I could control my anger towards the people who oppose this movement, I would be a much more forgiving person, but I'm not and I can't and I never want to be.
February 22, 2009
I like the idea of this book – a history of the struggle for reproductive rights and a practical guide to what individuals can do to protect those rights. Unfortunately, the book itself had some major flaws.
One – was it just me, or was her style of writing really disjointed? It seemed like there should have been a pretty obvious linear flow, but she skipped backwards and forwards and just wasn’t at all cohesive.
Two – The book itself is really out of date and it desperately needs a website.
Three – This is my big issue… The war on choice itself relies on emotional/belief-based arguments (what does it mean to be alive? what is human?) that are falsely disguised as rational/fact-based arguments (when is a fetus viable? how do you define a person under the law?). The pro-choice movement has been really good at dealing with the rational issues, but has been terrible about letting the anti-choice people completely control the emotional/belief-based side of things. In this book, Feldt doesn’t really address the core emotional arguments that the anti-choicers make, and until we reclaim a LOT of the cultural territory that we have ceded, all reproductive rights will be at risk.
One – was it just me, or was her style of writing really disjointed? It seemed like there should have been a pretty obvious linear flow, but she skipped backwards and forwards and just wasn’t at all cohesive.
Two – The book itself is really out of date and it desperately needs a website.
Three – This is my big issue… The war on choice itself relies on emotional/belief-based arguments (what does it mean to be alive? what is human?) that are falsely disguised as rational/fact-based arguments (when is a fetus viable? how do you define a person under the law?). The pro-choice movement has been really good at dealing with the rational issues, but has been terrible about letting the anti-choice people completely control the emotional/belief-based side of things. In this book, Feldt doesn’t really address the core emotional arguments that the anti-choicers make, and until we reclaim a LOT of the cultural territory that we have ceded, all reproductive rights will be at risk.
Read
February 4, 2009This book seemed like it would be interesting, but most of the issues it focused on have changed slightly in terms of legislation since 2004 when the book was written (ie, the Supreme Court upheld the "partial birth" abortion ban; and now Obama's the president and there's no more Global Gag rule). So it was somewhat outdated, and a lot of the information in here is stuff I've been following closely online anyway. It's somehow in that category of too old to be current and too new to be historically interesting.
April 11, 2012
Thorough and easy to read, Ms. Feldt digs deep in her treatise on the notion of abortion being under fire. Contrary to what many think, the attacks didn’t start under the Bush administration but began immediately after the decision to allow abortions was ratified into law. Showing the topic from many different viewpoints, the book is egalitarian, balanced and even in tone. It sounds a clear warning about this right that has come under such vicious attack and remains controversial even in the 21st century.
April 3, 2009
This isn't a bad overview of some of the issues involved with reproductive rights and some of the activist efforts that are taking place. However, I found it a bit slow and dry. It's a lot of preaching to the choir, and gets repetitive. It's definitely geared towards adult activists, not youth or those who need convincing.
December 12, 2015
I picked this book up, as part of Ms. Magazine's 100 nonfiction books to read, and I was stunned at how relevant Feldt's argument and points are even today. I'll be honest, the text can be a bit dry at times, but the facts in this book particularly the way the conversation regarding reproductive rights has been hijacked are extremely important. This is definitely worth checking out.
April 1, 2009
Good book but unfortunately quickly outdated, like most all of the political books I've read. This stops at 2004 right before crucial legislation is passed, and now that Obama is President, even more is changing.
May 28, 2009
It took me forever to review this book because it took me forever to read it. This book was a lot of repeating things I already knew. It didn't keep my attention. I'd recommend this book to someone who is pro choice and wants to help the cause but doesn't know what to do yet.
August 21, 2007
Great book. Give you hope.
September 4, 2009
enlightening frightening
July 4, 2011
A bit much but informative
February 18, 2015
This seems like a great book for someone who wants to learn about the anti-abortion rights movement--a little redundant for me after already studying this topic for years!
October 30, 2017
Even though this book was written a few years ago, the issues we faced then are still present today. Anyone who is at all interested in Reproductive Rights, this is a must-read.
June 20, 2018
This book is action-packed, in this book i was hooked from the beginning.
June 7, 2024
Neat Quotes:
“Reproductive self-determination is the most fundamental civil and human right a woman can have” Feldt
“Many religious traditions…have a theory of delayed ensoulment which basically states that the spiritual human soul doesn’t arrive in a fetus until the point of quickening, about sixteen weeks” feldt
“No woman is required to build the world by destroying herself” rabbi moshe sofer, chief rabbi of Pressburg nineteenth century
“Rights without accessibility are not rights” Feldt
“The rooster crows but the hen delivers” Ann Richard’s
“Reproductive self-determination is the most fundamental civil and human right a woman can have” Feldt
“Many religious traditions…have a theory of delayed ensoulment which basically states that the spiritual human soul doesn’t arrive in a fetus until the point of quickening, about sixteen weeks” feldt
“No woman is required to build the world by destroying herself” rabbi moshe sofer, chief rabbi of Pressburg nineteenth century
“Rights without accessibility are not rights” Feldt
“The rooster crows but the hen delivers” Ann Richard’s
March 20, 2022
This book gives a good description of how conservatives have gradually chipped away at reproductive rights since Roe v. Wade. It was published in 2004, so it might be out of date, and yet it also felt so timeless since we are still fighting for reproductive rights for women in the US and the rest of the world. The book mainly focuses on Bush’s appointments that put reproductive rights in jeopardy, but there was good information on how to stay informed and ways to make your voice heard.
January 14, 2024
Eerie read 20 years after its original publication, especially in a post-overturn of Roe v. Wade world.
August 25, 2023
Although the information is outdated I still think this book is a very important read and still has useful information on abortions nonetheless. The way the information was organized was a little challenging to read without a narrator talking you through it. However this book has taught me a lot on a topic I’m passionate about!
December 9, 2007
A- Good account on how women's repro rights are being threatened.
May 20, 2008
A must read. Especially for anyone who thinks the issue of choice is just about abortion.
April 22, 2017
This book is so thoroughly researched and presents really coherent and well-supported arguments. It's also from 2004 and was probably outdated about 5 minutes after it was published, which is sadly even more true for the politics of issues today. I would love to read an updated version with today's laws and policies included, but again it wouldn't last long.
I wish the book had been organized a bit better. Some of the chapters seemed to jump around a lot, and it did get repetitive. It's also a whole lot of preaching to the choir. Feldt sometimes took an outraged tone that seemed silly considering anyone not on her side is never going to pick this up, but I understand her motivation to light a fire under pro-chicers' butts.
I learned a lot; mostly it made me nudge my husband with a lot of "can you belive x was the law until y years ago??!!!"
I wish the book had been organized a bit better. Some of the chapters seemed to jump around a lot, and it did get repetitive. It's also a whole lot of preaching to the choir. Feldt sometimes took an outraged tone that seemed silly considering anyone not on her side is never going to pick this up, but I understand her motivation to light a fire under pro-chicers' butts.
I learned a lot; mostly it made me nudge my husband with a lot of "can you belive x was the law until y years ago??!!!"
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews