THE CHOICES WE MADE, Angela Bonavoglia

Edited and with a revised introduction by
Angela Bonavoglia
The Choices We Made
Twenty-five Women and Men
Speak Out About Abortion

Anne Archer, Polly Bergen, Jill Clayburgh, Linda Ellerbee, Whoopi Goldberg, Elizabeth Janeway, Margot Kidder, Ursula K. Le Guin, Rita Moreno, Kathy Nijimy, Grace Paley, and Nora Sayre, among others

"Old and young, rich and poor, black and white, celebrities and unknowns — the voices vary … but their stories … have a powerful cumulative impact. Not for the fainthearted, but a clear and strong statement." — Kirkus Reviews

"Anybody who has a strong feeling about the issue, no matter which side he or she supports, would find it worthwhile reading." — Seattle Times

The freedom of reproductive choice in America, never secure, has once again come under fire. When The Choices We Made was first published almost ten years ago, few realized that in the twenty-first century this most personal decision would still be under assault. Despite the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision to legalize abortion, the victory has been a tenuous one, eroded by social and political chicanery and violence. George W. Bush's presidential term begins with a series of ominous bangs — the immediate withdrawal of federal assistance from international family planning groups, the anti-choice attorney general, and the support for federal funding to faith-based organizations that are, in many cases, against reproductive freedom. The debate over the right to choose has never been more relevant or more necessary, and the need to protect ever-dwindling choice more pressing. The Choices We Made humanizes this volatile issue by presenting the stories of twenty-five women and men brave enough to share their individual experiences.

Angela Bonavoglia has collected stories documenting abortion, illegal and legal, from the 1920s through the 1980s, illustrating the basic fact that banning abortion cannot prevent people from making a choice, even if that choice is fraught with danger. These women who had illegal abortions encountered toxic "medications," filthy conditions, operations without anesthetic, humiliation, and occasional kindness. Some were left infertile. Some died. Most went on to live their lives as they saw fit, having made their own personal choice. Those who had legal abortions had to deal with legislative obstacles, the promise and the burden of technology, and vilification for the decision they made.

The Choices We Made presents these testimonials as thoughtful, articulate, sober counter arguments to an attack on choice fought with rhetoric, dogma, inaccuracy, intimidation, and even murder. Gloria Steinem celebrates the honesty and determination of the contributors, whose personal revelations are the building blocks towards parity and equality for women everywhere. Even as Roe v. Wade stands, shakily, on a slim majority on the Supreme Court, the right to choice has been effectively strangled in state after state across the country. These voices, and all those who join their chorus, are essential champions of one of our most basic civil rights.

Angela Bonavoglia is an award-winning freelance journalist whose articles on abortion and other issues have appeared in Ms.,the Chicago Tribune, Mirabella, Redbook, Newsday, Cosmopolitan, and other publications. She also has served as a policy analyst and communications consultant to the nation's major reproductive health organizations. She lives in Westchester County, New York.

Order this featured book
online at a discount from

Website design by JERRY ENGELBACH