Ben Worsley answers “I think this book may be an anti-abortion...”

Teresa asked this question about The Mothers:

I think this book may be an anti-abortion rant. What do others think?

Ben Worsley I think the book did a great job presenting the emotional after effects of an abortion and many of the nuances of the decision while still giving some…moreI think the book did a great job presenting the emotional after effects of an abortion and many of the nuances of the decision while still giving some balance to the freedom of choice. However, I would have to agree that overall the book was anti-abortion. I would posit that the inevitable question of "What if?" would be answered with a variety of scenarios by each character. However, the book only presented the idea that the abortion was a loss in the minds of the characters. I didn't see any passages that imagined the baby being born - but then Nadia feeling trapped and not going to college/law school, Luke being unable to accept the stigma of being a preacher's son with an out-of-wedlock child, etc. I think that these ideas would be a normal part of the thought process of "What If?" but the author's choice not to include these imaginings does indeed make the book anti-abortion in some sense.(less)

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Lisa Magee Ben, you almost lost me with your first sentence, but in the whole I agree with you. But just to let you know, most women do not have these type of em ...more
Jun 13, 2019 01:49PM · flag

Rose by Another Name I also thought it was weird that Luke never thought about those things and that Nadia never pointed them out to him (or his shared culpability to his ...more
Nov 16, 2020 02:34PM · flag

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