• Age: 12 to 18
• Grade: 8 to 12
• Reading age: 12 to 18

★“Required reading for teens of every gender.”—Booklist, starred review
Abortion is one of the most common of all medical procedures. But it is still stigmatized, and all too often people do not feel they can talk about their experiences.
Making abortion illegal or hard to access doesn't make it any less common; it just makes it dangerous. Around the world, tens of thousands of women die from unsafe abortions every year.
People who support abortion rights have been fighting hard to create a world in which the right to access safe and legal abortion services is guaranteed. The opposition to this has been intense and sometimes violent, and victories have been hard won.
The long fight for abortion rights is being picked up by a new generation of courageous, creative and passionate activists. This book is about the history, and the future, of that fight.

Robin Stevenson is the award-winning author of more than 25 books for kids and teens, including the board book Pride Colors, the picture book Ghost’s Journey: A Refugee Story and the nonfiction books Kid Activists and Pride: The Celebration and the Struggle. The first edition of her nonfiction book Pride: Celebrating Diversity & Community (2016) won a Stonewall Honor and was shortlisted for numerous other awards. Robin lives in Victoria, British Columbia, where she attends Pride celebrations with her family every year, but always leaves her dog safely at home.

 

Robin Stevenson's profile page

• Commended, Bank Street College of Education Children's Book Committee Best Children's Books of the Year
• Winner, BC and Yukon Book Prizes - Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize
• Commended, CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens, starred selection
• Commended, Ontario Library association (OLA) Best Bets
• Commended, School Library Journal (SLJ) Best Books - Nonfiction
• Commended, Kirkus Reviews Best Teens & Young Adult Nonfiction

"A magnificent and thoughtful examination of the fight for abortion rights in Canada, the United States, and around the world. Through often untold histories, My Body My Choice details tactics activists employed to fight for abortion rights, explains how race and class are barriers to access—historically and today—and the impact youth activists are making today. My Body My Choice also explains the basics of reproductive health in an affirming, non-stigmatizing, and digestible way for young readers. My Body My Choice is the book I wish I had as a teen, before, during, and after my abortion. I know I would have felt less alone and more empowered with it in hand."

Renee Bracey Sherman, writer, abortion storyteller, and reproductive justice activist

"Guaranteed to prompt much-needed conversations and discussions and, along with pro-life materials, should be available in libraries and schools across the country so that students have informed access to the abortion debate. Highly Recommended."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

★ "Well-researched and visually appealing, this is a boon for those seeking clear, comprehensive information from the perspective of the reproductive rights movement."

Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Both a history and a call to action. Combining text, images, quotes, maps, charts, and more into an engaging package...Useful information and inspiration.”

Mombian blog

★ "Exceptional entry in the Orca Issues series…With impeccable research, statistics, a resource list, and thorough source notes, this illuminating resource should be required reading for teens of every gender."

Booklist, starred review

"For a heavy topic, the book is both arrestingly visual and dynamic in tone…Thoroughly researched and thought provoking, offering in-depth information balanced with first-person accounts, including stories of women who have had abortions themselves."

Quill & Quire

“For people who are new to reproductive activism, this is an excellent place to begin reading.”

Bustle

"Youth will be armed with concrete tips and advice on how they can help fight against abortion stigma and support their right and others' right to make this important decision for themselves. This comprehensive, empowering, and accessible resource will be of great use to teens interested in learning more about reproductive rights either for school or for personal knowledge."

School Library Journal

"I would have been a much wiser person had I been able to read this book twenty-five years ago. Robin Stevenson conveys the reality of abortion and the true stories of people—all kinds of people— who have them. In sharing the inspiring history of the fight for abortion rights, she makes it clear how much those rights matter."

Kerry Clare, National Magazine Award–nominated writer and editor

“As fascinating as it is significant…Readers will finish this book with a broad comprehension of what abortion means and why it matters…My Body My Choice needs to be in every secondary school library and every teen section across the country…But young people need good information, and young people who care about their futures need to understand this history. Highly recommended.”

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