Without Apology Writings on Abortion in Canada

Until the late 1960s, the authorities on abortion were for the most part men—politicians, clergy, lawyers, physicians, all of whom had an interest in regulating women’s bodies. Even today, when we hear women speak publicly about abortion, the voices are usually those of the leaders of women’s and abortion rights organizations, women who hold political office, and, on occasion, female physicians. We also hear quite frequently from spokeswomen for anti-abortion groups. Rarely, however, do we hear the voices of ordinary women—women whose lives have been in some way touched by abortion. Their thoughts typically owe more to human circumstance than to ideology, and without them, we run the risk of thinking and talking about the issue of abortion only in the abstract.

Without Apology seeks to address this issue by gathering the voices of activists, feminists, and scholars as well as abortion providers and clinic support staff alongside the stories of women whose experience with abortion is more personal. With the particular aim of moving beyond the polarizing rhetoric that has characterized the issue of abortion and reproductive justice for so long, Without Apology is an engrossing and arresting account that will promote both reflection and discussion.

With contributions by Aalya Ahmad, Tracey L. Anderson, Jane Cawthorne, Peggy Cooke, Shannon Dea, Carolyn Egan, Linda Gardner, Laura Gillespie, Sterling Haynes, E.K. Hornbeck, Clarissa Hurley, “Dr. James”, H. Bindy K. Kang, Kristen, Natalie Lochwin, Mackenzie, Colleen MacQuarrie, Ruth Miller, Judith Mintz, Erin Mullan, Jen Rinaldi, Sadie Roberts, Martha Solomon, Shannon Stettner, Karen Stote, Nick Van der Graaf, Bernadette Wagner, Laura Wershler, Shannon West, Ellen Wiebe, and Jess Woolford.

About the Editor

Shannon Stettner is a post-doctoral visitor in the Department of Political Science at York University and teaches in the Department of Women’s Studies at the University of Waterloo. She is the co-founder of the Reproductive Activism and Abortion Research Network.

Reviews

An excellent example of how Canadian historians can make their scholarship more accessible to a public audience. Stettner’s collection shows how the field of women’s history can combine scholarly and activist agendas through history. […] While many of the essays draw on personal and anecdotal evidence, they provide historical insight into how far the pro-choice movement has come in Canada and where it should go next. This book will be useful to academics, women’s health practitioners, policymakers, and members of the public who want to understand Canada’s abortion debate in the past and in the present.

The Canadian Historical Review

Heartbreaking and enraging. . . . A commendable survey of abortion in Canada that gives space to a wide range of voices while also acknowledging the work still to be done.

Studies in Social Justice

Finally, there’s a resource that comprehensively and thoroughly explores the history and evolution of reproductive rights in Canada. […] A great resource for anyone looking for information about the evolution of abortion rights, regulations, and laws in Canada, but also a great read for anyone interested in the role of abortion rights in the history of the feminist movement.

Herizons

Table of Contents

1. Acknowledgements
2. Without Apology: An Introduction / Shannon Stettner
3. A Brief History of Abortion in Canada / Shannon Stettner
4. Part One • Speaking from Experience
   1. An Abortion Palimpsest: Writing the Hidden Stories of Our Bodies / Judith Mintz
   2. T.A. / Clarissa Hurley
   3. But I Kept All These Things, and Pondered Them in My Heart / Jess Woolford
   4. Keep It Small / E.K. Hornbeck
   5. A Bad Law and a Bold Woman / Bernadette Wagner
   6. A Lonely Ride / Kristen
   7. [untitled] / Mackenzie
5. Part Two • Abortion Rights Activism
   1. Reproductive Freedom: The Ontario Coalition for Abortion Clinics and the Campaign to Overturn the Federal Abortion Law / Carolyn Egan and Linda Gardner
   2. Handmaids on the Hill: Defending Our Rights One Womb at a Time / Aalya Ahmad and the Radical Handmaids
   3. Breaking the Silence Through Portrait and Story: Arts4Choice / Martha Solomon
   4. “We Can Get There Faster If We All Move Together”: The Birth and Evolution of a Reproductive Justice Activist / Colleen MacQuarrie
   5. Waves of Change in Prince Edward Island: Opening the Dialogue on Abortion Access / Sadie Roberts
6. Part Three • Challenging Opposing Positions
   1. Blinded by the Right: My Past as an Anti-abortion Activist / Natalie Lochwin
   2. One Life Change Leads to Another: My Evolving View of Abortion / Tracey L. Anderson
   3. Pro-Choice for God’s Sake / Shannon West
   4. Pro-choice with No “Buts”: Three Commentaries / Laura Wershler
   5. Expanding the Reproductive Justice Lexicon: A Case for the Label Pro-abortion / Laura Gillespie
   6. Same as It Ever Was: Anti-Choice Extremism and the “Third Way” / Jane Cawthorne
   7. Women over Ideology / Nick Van der Graaf
7. Part Four • Practitioners and Clinic Support
   1. Dissolving Fear, Fostering Trust: Lessons from Life in Abortion Care / Peggy Cooke
   2. “Do you think I will go to hell for this?” / Ruth Miller
   3. Countering Shame with Compassion: The Role of the Abortion Counsellor / Erin Mullan
   4. Women Judging Women: Whose Reasons Are “Good Enough”? Whose Choice Is OK? / Ellen Wiebe
   5. Therapeutic Abortion: A Nonnegotiable Women’s Right / Sterling Haynes
   6. On Becoming an Abortion Provider: An Interview / Shannon Stettner and “Dr. James”
8. Part Five • Sites of Struggle
   1. The Myth of Reproductive Choice: A Call for Radical Change / Karen Stote
   2. Sex-Selective Abortion and the Politics of Race in Multicultural Canada / H. Bindy K. Kang
   3. The Public Pregnancy: How the Fetal Debut and the Public Health Paradigm Affect Pregnancy Practice / Jen Rinaldi
   4. A Harm-Reduction Approach to Abortion / Shannon Dea
   5. The Unfinished Revolution / Shannon Stettner
   6. List of Contributors

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). It may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes, provided that the original author is credited.