As fascinating as all of that is, it only encompasses a small portion of the book - the rest is taken up by analyses of the court cases which have come to define the landscape of America’s debate on abortion. From Griswold v. Connecticut, which helped establish the idea that people have a liberty interest in matters of procreation, to the central case of Roe v. Wade itself, and down through a myriad of conflicting cases in which the basis and extent of abortion rights have shifted and changed in unpredictable ways.
The arguments on both sides of each legal incarnation of the debate are presented extensively, allowing the reader to better understand the issues involved and why people have taken different stands. More importantly, the authors go behind the scenes and present the people who have made these cases what they are. Sometimes, it is easier to understand why the courts reached certain decisions by seeing what sorts of arguments were made and how well they were made.
In place of footnotes the book includes a “bibliographic essay” - a decision I disagree with because I would have liked to see more detailed and specific references for particular quotes and claims. Although this appears to be the way things are done in all of the books in this legal series, I still look forward to reading more volumes in it. This is the best single-volume treatment of the history of abortion law and court decisions which I’ve read thus far. It combines an engaging prose style with an extensive knowledge of and passion for the issue. You don’t need to be a legal scholar to enjoy and learn from this book.
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