ThoughtGallery.org > Carol Sanger on About Abortion, w/ Alice Kessler-Harris & Jean Howard

Carol Sanger on About Abortion, w/ Alice Kessler-Harris & Jean Howard

Independent bookstore Book Culture welcomes author Carol Sanger for a discussion on her newest book, About Abortion; joining her in conversation are Alice Kessler-Harris and Jean Howard.

One of the most private decisions a woman can make, abortion is also one of the most contentious topics in American civic life. Protested at rallies and politicized in party platforms, terminating pregnancy is often characterized as a selfish decision by women who put their own interests above those of the fetus. This background of stigma and hostility has stifled women’s willingness to talk about abortion, which in turn distorts public and political discussion. To pry open the silence surrounding this public issue, Carol Sanger distinguishes between abortion privacy, a form of nondisclosure based on a woman’s desire to control personal information, and abortion secrecy, a woman’s defense against the many harms of disclosure.

Laws regulating abortion patients and providers treat abortion not as an acceptable medical decision—let alone a right—but as something disreputable, immoral, and chosen by mistake. Exploiting the emotional power of fetal imagery, laws require women to undergo ultrasound, a practice welcomed in wanted pregnancies but commandeered for use against women with unwanted pregnancies. Sanger takes these prejudicial views of women’s abortion decisions into the twenty-first century by uncovering new connections between abortion law and American culture and politics.

New medical technologies, women’s increasing willingness to talk online and off, and the prospect of tighter judicial reins on state legislatures are shaking up the practice of abortion. As talk becomes more transparent and acceptable, women’s decisions about whether or not to become mothers will be treated more like those of other adults making significant personal choices.

This is a free event and Carl Sanger will be available to sign books following.

About the speakers

Carol Sanger is the Barbara Aronstein Black Professor of Law at Columbia Law School.

Alice Kessler-Harris is R. Gordon Hoxie Professor of American History and professor in the Institute for Research on Women and Gender at Columbia University.

Jean Howard is the George Delacorte Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University.

About Book Culture

Book Culture has been part of the Morningside Heights community since 1997, with locations on 112th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam and on the corner of 114th and Broadway, where there has been an independent bookstore for over fifty years. The 112th location offers a wide range of publications in the arts, humanities, and sciences. The 114th store carries popular titles and a large collection of children’s books. For additional information, visit http://www.bookculture.com/.











When: Tue., Apr. 11, 2017 at 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Where: Book Culture
536 W. 112th St.
212-865-1588
Price: Free
Buy tickets/get more info now
See other events in these categories:

Independent bookstore Book Culture welcomes author Carol Sanger for a discussion on her newest book, About Abortion; joining her in conversation are Alice Kessler-Harris and Jean Howard.

One of the most private decisions a woman can make, abortion is also one of the most contentious topics in American civic life. Protested at rallies and politicized in party platforms, terminating pregnancy is often characterized as a selfish decision by women who put their own interests above those of the fetus. This background of stigma and hostility has stifled women’s willingness to talk about abortion, which in turn distorts public and political discussion. To pry open the silence surrounding this public issue, Carol Sanger distinguishes between abortion privacy, a form of nondisclosure based on a woman’s desire to control personal information, and abortion secrecy, a woman’s defense against the many harms of disclosure.

Laws regulating abortion patients and providers treat abortion not as an acceptable medical decision—let alone a right—but as something disreputable, immoral, and chosen by mistake. Exploiting the emotional power of fetal imagery, laws require women to undergo ultrasound, a practice welcomed in wanted pregnancies but commandeered for use against women with unwanted pregnancies. Sanger takes these prejudicial views of women’s abortion decisions into the twenty-first century by uncovering new connections between abortion law and American culture and politics.

New medical technologies, women’s increasing willingness to talk online and off, and the prospect of tighter judicial reins on state legislatures are shaking up the practice of abortion. As talk becomes more transparent and acceptable, women’s decisions about whether or not to become mothers will be treated more like those of other adults making significant personal choices.

This is a free event and Carl Sanger will be available to sign books following.

About the speakers

Carol Sanger is the Barbara Aronstein Black Professor of Law at Columbia Law School.

Alice Kessler-Harris is R. Gordon Hoxie Professor of American History and professor in the Institute for Research on Women and Gender at Columbia University.

Jean Howard is the George Delacorte Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University.

About Book Culture

Book Culture has been part of the Morningside Heights community since 1997, with locations on 112th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam and on the corner of 114th and Broadway, where there has been an independent bookstore for over fifty years. The 112th location offers a wide range of publications in the arts, humanities, and sciences. The 114th store carries popular titles and a large collection of children’s books. For additional information, visit http://www.bookculture.com/.

Buy tickets/get more info now