Beyond Choice: Reproductive Freedom in the 21st Century

by Alexander Sanger

Book Overview

Thirty years after Roe v. Wade, the argument between "pro-choicers" and "pro-lifers" has reached stalemate. Pro-choice arguments haven't persuaded a comfortable majority that legal abortion is vital to our society, nor addressed our moral qualms. Younger people are less and less supportive of reproductive rights. Since 1996, state legislatures have enacted nearly 300 pieces of anti-choice legislation. With Roe in jeopardy, International...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1586483463
• ISBN13: 9781586483463
• Release Date: July 2005
• Publisher: PublicAffairs
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

The Defense of Women's Rights

The defense of women's rights might be called the key American battle. It goes without saying that these are reproductive rights. The right to control the size of one's family, or, indeed, not to have a family at all, was established with great courage and effort only recently, by the grandmother of the author of this book. In America today whatever position one holds on this essential matter of private life and social policy, what is absolutely critical is ongoing public debate and behind it, education. Every American should know and think carefully about this subject, hence every American should read this book. How fortunate we are that an intelligent, articulate author like Alexander Sanger is a committed champion of women's rights.

Choosing Abortion is Morally Positve

Alexander Sanger has clearly spent many years living with the complex issues related to human reproduction. His recent book, Beyond Choice: Reproductive Freedom In The 21st Century, is the intellectual product of his remarkable experience, and his gift to all of us who are interested in maintaining freedom as a moral imperative. Indeed, the strongest argument in his book is that chosing abortion can be morally positive, because the availability of abortion maximizes successful human reproduction. Equally compelling are his thoughts on the role of men in support of reproductive freedom, and the new insights that emerge from evolutionary biology. In short, every thinking woman and man will benefit from reading this deeply considered book.

The debate Goes On!

If there is one thing that will surely stir up emotions is a heated debate between pro-life and pro-choice advocates. The debate invariably brings in political, legal, religious, moral, medical and sociological factors that often times only confuse those who are the spectators.Alexander Sanger is the recently retired president of Planned Parenthood of New York City and grandson of the renowned planning advocate Margaret Sanger.In his defense of pro-choice, as exposed in his recent book, Beyond Choice: Reproductive Freedom In The 21st Century, Sanger argues that having abortion legalized and accessible is morally right, nor morally wrong. It is his contention that there should be a new perspective when defending the right to abortion in that it should be viewed as less of a rights issue but rather more of a reproductive one. Up to now Sanger believes that the traditional arguments of the pro-choice as well as the pro-life defenders do not provide us with as much guidance as the public deserves and needs. As his principal objective is to defend pro-choice, Sanger maintains that the central challenge for those in favor of choice is to show that the movement has the ideas and philosophy to help people cope with the ethical dilemmas that new reproductive technologies present. Furthermore, he believes that American and worldwide views of abortion will become more pro-choice only when abortion is put into a reproductive and biological context. In other words, shift the perspective from rights to reproduction.As he states, "having the choice whether or not to become a parent and having a child has been and is essential to the survival and well-being of humanity." Furthermore, as he maintains, the abortion debate in the last quarter of the twentieth century failed to address the issue as to why it is biologically vital that women control childbearing.In order to advance his argument, Sanger examines the following topics: the origins of choice, reproductive freedom and human evolution, the reproductive rights debate that ignored reproduction, putting reproduction back into reproductive freedom, enlisting men in support of reproductive freedom, defending reproductive freedom from the dangers of reproductive technology, and should the government have the right to enter our bedrooms and enact abortion laws. Sanger neatly presents his arguments with a great deal of historical and scientific information incorporating his own personal observations. As to the validity of his arguments, readers will have to judge for themselves, however, this is what makes the book intriguing food for thought. Norm Goldman Editor of Bookpleasures.com

Wonderful!

Alexander Sanger's Beyond Choice is an extraordinary book. While I consider myself to be mostly pro-choice, I had never really asked myself the question why we should we have reproductive freedom in the first place. This is the question that Alex Sanger tackles in this provocative book. Sanger makes the case of why all reproductive freedom, including abortion, is moral because it helps humanity survive. The book discusses the difficulties and dangers, especially to women, of human reproduction and makes it clear that we evolved to have reproductive freedom because it helps women and children survive. Sanger is not afraid to say that there can be limits on choice, especially in the area of new reproductive technologies. Of more importance, the book sets out rationales and strategies for including men in the battle for reproductive rights, and defines what the role of government should and should not be in our private lives. I am convinced, as will all readers and writers be, that no one who wants to express any opinion on the issue of choice, or life, can do so without reading this page-turning and vitally important book.