Many things in our country have caused division of opinion. The overturning of Roe v Wade was certainly one of those things. This book gives a good timeline around the court’s decision and the events that have followed. But the title itself shows bias. What was overturned was the Roe v Wade decision based on the fact that, in the eyes of this Court, it was never a constitutional right. It was a decision which should have been made by the states. The book purports to show things from both sides and even lists organizations from both sides which can be contacted for more information, but the list of internet sources in the index, except for the last one given, only show a pro-abortion side. Most students will move to the internet for more information on the subject they are researching, and the placement on the list will affect their understanding of the situation. There are other sources which could have been listed, such as https://www.statista.com/statistics/658555/number-of-abortion-deaths-us

I found other biased things as well. No scientific definitions about when life begins was given. Stories from women who were unable to get the abortions they needed or desired are supplied, but none from women who changed their mind based on efforts of anti-abortion support groups. There are few quotes or sidebars from pregnancy support groups. The picture used to start the book shows a group of young men supporting anti-abortion, but no women are in that picture. Then, the picture beside it shows a single woman asking for her right to decide. The pictures create in the mind the idea that men are against abortion and women stand alone in their choice. Neither of those things are true, they are the opinion of the author.

The author quoted a statistic which said that one in four (Another place in the book says “five.”) pregnancies in the U.S. end in abortion. The term “abortion” as it is used by the medical field means any termination of a pregnancy by any means, natural or medical. The author chose to use the commonly understood definition, which is a termination of a pregnancy by medical means. This skews the statistics and makes it appear the 25% of pregnancies are ended by the mother’s choice. That simply is not so. A little further research would show that, while that number is true, the reason for the termination is most often from natural means. Most people called the ending of pregnancy in a natural way a “miscarriage,” but the medical field still uses the term “abortion.” Realizing the subtle change in definition makes a big difference in understanding the statistic. Still, this book provides references and a perspective of the legal aspects of the Supreme Court’s decision to return the decision on abortion to the individual states. It is a subject needed in our schools. I am recommending the purchase of this book with reservations, in spite of what I see as a subtle bias. I would suggest that librarians try to get material on both sides of the issue in order to allow their students to do adequate research.