Abortion Politics in North America

Despite legal affirmations of women's rights to abortion, actual access to the procedure in North America is increasingly curtailed. Melissa Haussman analyzes this disturbing disparity between official policies and daily realities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Haussman examines the successes of U.S. antichoice groups, groups that have extended their reach to effectively contest the rights of women throughout North America, as well as the efforts of prochoice groups fighting to keep abortion available in Canada and the U.S. and to legalize it in Mexico. Her sobering conclusion is that basic reproductive rights are at risk of becoming meaningful only to the wealthy.