Ten books on the long legacy of abortion in America

One title on Electric Lit's "literary guide to reproductive rights: where we've been, where we are, and where we are likely headed:"

When Abortion Was a Crime: Women, Medicine and Law in the United States by Leslie J. Reagan

Leslie J. Reagan’s account of pre-Roe America was the first-ever study on the history of illegal abortion in the United States. By thoughtfully and unflinchingly detailing the experiences of those who sought and provided illegal abortions up until the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, Reagan proves that criminalizing abortions has never stopped them from occurring—instead, it only causes significant risk to both patients who seek help and the doctors who provide it. An unsettling illumination of what happens when abortion rights are nonexistent, this book is a reflection on where we came from, a warning of what might lie ahead, and a chilling reminder that history repeats itself.

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--Marshal Zeringue