Swimming Against the Tide: Feminist Dissent on the Issue of Abortion

by Angela Kennedy (editor)

The essays in this collection present a powerful challenge to the prevailing feminist dictum that abortion is something that women want or even need. The authors explore the doubts and discomfort felt by many women about abortion. Issues of equality, violence and oppression are raised in the context of a feminist critique which seeks non-violent solutions to the problems faced by modern women. The authors offer an alternative feminist view of abortion, a view that recognises the value of both women's bodies and children's lives, and which demands equality, respect and justice of both. Compassionate and thought-provoking, this book is a valuable contribution to contemporary feminist discourse and abortion debate.

Genres: Feminism

126 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1997

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a Women's Studies minor in college, and read a great deal of feminist theory at the time. Discussions by and about feminists who oppose abortion were never made available. When dealing with the abortion debate, we were exposed only to the standard arguments against abortion -- the fetus is a person, has a right to life, women should stay in the role of mother and not break away from traditional social duties, etc. This book approaches the issue of abortion from a different angle -- an angle that is not often discussed. The authors of the essays in Swimming against the Tide address abortion from a feminist perspective while at the same time acknowledging the reality of the unborn child. Their arguments against abortion are different from the standard ones. They discuss how legalized abortion act as a kind of a Band-Aid on deeper problems in society. Because abortion is readily available to women, issues such as the lack of support in our society for pregnant women and poor single mothers and the economic climate that makes having children difficult as well as the lack of resources available for women who want to have their babies in difficult circumstances are issues that are not addressed. What's more, the right to abortion often leads to an unspoken obligation to abort, especially when the unborn baby has a defect or disability.

Citing statistics and making reference to women's individual stories, the feminists in this book discuss how abortion is often done reluctantly as a "last resort" for women who in better circumstances would keep their babies. They also discuss how abortion frequently liberates men -- freeing them from the responsibility to care for their children while leaving women with the emotional trauma of dealing the aftermath of their abortions. The book also discusses the beliefs of the early feminists -- people like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Blackwell ( the first highly respected female doctor) and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who opposed abortion and saw it as a form of exploitation of women.

The book deals with abortion from an intellectual perspective -- you won't find references to fetuses screaming or bloody pictures of abortions. Rather, the book challenges feminist assumptions about abortion and how it affects women. I believe that all feminists should read this book. It will definitely make an open-minded person think differently about the abortion issue. Whether the reader comes to agree with the essayists' views or not, Swimming Against the Tide will challenge one's assumptions about the traditional feminist view of abortion.