Description
Book SynopsisIt seems unthinkable that citizens of one of the most powerful nations in the world must risk their lives and livelihoods in the search for access to necessary health care. And yet it is no surprise that in many places throughout the United States, getting an abortion can be a monumental challenge. Anti-choice politicians and activists have worked tirelessly to impose needless restrictions on this straightforward medical procedure that, at best, delay it and, at worst, create medical risks and deny women their constitutionally protected right to choose.Obstacle Course tells the story of abortion in America, capturing a disturbing reality of insurmountable barriers people face when trying to exercise their legal rights to medical services. Authors David S. Cohen and Carole Joffe lay bare the often arduous and unnecessarily burdensome process of terminating a pregnancy: the sabotaged decision-making, clinics in remote locations, insurance bans, harassing protesters, forced ultrasounds an
Trade Review"The authors present the actual experience [of abortion], and in doing so reveal the courage, intelligence and determination of patients, often dismissed as confused or selfish, and providers, often attacked as heartless and greedy." * Washington Post *
"
Obstacle Course is a provocation and guide for more a robust engagement within medical anthropology on abortion politics, laws, and care. . . . This book is accessibly written for audiences moved by stories about the everyday stakes of health care politics and will be an invaluable resource for use in anthropology, sociology, history, legal studies, gender studies, public health, and ethics courses." * Medical Anthropology Quarterly *
"Cohen and Joffe detail with painstaking and often heartrending clarity the intersectional gauntlet of obstacles that many seeking an abortion must navigate." * Signs *
Table of Contents1. Introduction: The Turbulent State of Abortion in America
2. Making the Decision: Coping with Roadblocks, Deception, and Lies
3. Finding and Getting to a Clinic: Hard to Find, Harder to Reach
4. Coming Up With the Money: The Biggest Barrier
5. Getting In: Chaos at the Clinic Door
6. Counseling at the Clinic: Government-Mandated Deceit
7. Waiting Periods: Logistical Nightmares, Potentially Serious Delays
8. The Procedure: Politics Overrides Medical Expertise
9. An Alternate Vision: Abortion as Normal Health Care
Notes
Acknowledgments
Index
