A Woman's Right to Know: How Women's Health Became a Political Pawn - and the Surprising Alliances Working to Reclaim It

by Carol Roye

When women's health wasn't a political issue…The surprising history every woman deserves to know.Women's health has long been seen as a divisive social issue. But behind inflammatory news headlines is an untold story that every man and woman is entitled to know. This factual and eye-opening story recounts how women’s health devolved from being a medical issue, supported even by religious groups, to a divisive political debate.Exposing a chain of historic events, author Carol Roye reveals how only recently groups such as the Religious Right organized against abortion rights, using it as an influential political tool. Roye, an academic, longtime nurse practitioner and mother of six, also dispels many of the inaccurate, political arguments surrounding abortion and instead shines a light on the real concern at hand – public health.A Woman’s Right to Know goes beyond the old argument of moral imperative vs. women's rights. Instead, it presents a third point of view in which people on either side of the issue have aligned in support of the true moral imperative – women's and children's health. Roye’s book points us towards a solution and details the unlikely alliances and religious coalitions that are already working together to protect women’s health, including access to contraception and abortion. This book supports neither pro-life nor pro-choice sentiments. Instead, it effectively affirms why we must move beyond the tired political debate and find common ground in order to protect the lives of women and children. A Woman’s Right to Know is a stirring must-read for anyone concerned with women's rights, as well as those who want to be better informed about this critical public health issue.

170 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 26, 2014

Reviews

[Elisabeth Valienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was... incredibly fascinating. I've never read a book from this perspective before and it was incredibly informative and well written (and researched).

[Elizabeth Tripp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm surprised to be the first to review! I certainly hope more will follow, as I really enjoyed reading this very informative book. Roye obviously did her research, and also includes personal anecdotes. Lots of names and dates- perhaps not all relevant. Still, would definitely recommend this to those wanting to learn more about how the Religious Right and their stance on abortion came to be. Religious groups often feel like the enemy, but Roye shows that is indeed not always the case. I also will say that the ending- What We Can Do To Help- felt a bit rushed.

[Yaara · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great, must-read for anyone interested in the origins and history of this topic regardless of opinion. While the author's opinion is clear, she tries to give the intended information at historically accurate as she can. Well researched, intriguing