New book on abortion rights raises issues of women's well-being

One in three American women will have terminated at least one pregnancy by the time they reach menopause.

Armed with that statistic, author Katha Pollitt makes the case that abortion should be viewed as a common part of women's reproductive lives.

In her latest book, "Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights" (Picador, $20), the columnist for the Nation argues that abortion can be a force for social good, enabling women to make wiser decisions for themselves and their families.

Q: A possible scenario: Book club discusses "Pro," and members learn that views greatly differ. Talk grows heated and before you know it, someone mutters, "Baby murderer!" Is there a way to talk through that one?

A: I don't see why people can't have a reasonable discussion about abortion, as we do about many other contentious ideas. … It's a whole way of looking at women, [with] one way saying, "You are at the center of your life. You should decide when a good time is to be a mother." The other side says, "Fate decides; nature decides. Once you're pregnant, you've lost the right to redirect your life."

Q: You describe abortion foes as favoring embryos over women, that if they cared about strengthening families, they would settle for abortion being "safe, legal and rare." So what's behind the continuing focus on potential new life over existing lives?

A: I think a lot of it is about women having sex. Abortion was legal in America in most states until after the Civil War. I think it changed because women started fighting for and obtaining more independence, getting more education. Middle-class couples started postponing having children, and had fewer children.

A: It was not legislated. Basically, it was women's business, and men who were smart stayed away. There were a lot of miscarriages, a lot of injuries in childbirth. Women's reproductive lives were extremely dangerous and stressful, and men wisely left it to them.

Q: You say that we avoid talking about abortion, pleading complexity, and describe the "muddled middle" who neither condemn it nor advocate for it. But you contend that the issue isn't that nuanced. What's your best elevator speech to someone who objects to abortion?

A: One thing I might point out is that there are many countries where abortion is entirely illegal, for example, Nicaragua and El Salvador. But in those countries, the rate of illegal abortions is sometimes higher than our rate of legal abortions. Women are going to have abortions whether they're legal or not, because having a child is a major life decision. So I would ask people who want to make it illegal: What do you think is different about America that you don't think there will be a lot of illegal abortions here? And is that what we want?

Q: Public opinion has remained stable over the years, with a majority of Americans (55 percent in a recent Pew Research poll) saying abortion should remain legal. Does that feed your concern that abortion rights forces are growing complacent in the face of restrictions being put in place?

A: For all the prominence of the issue in public discussion, views are relatively stable. … But if there is only one abortion clinic in your state, in what sense are you able to exercise this legal right? I think we're reaching a crisis situation in much of the country where your rights exist on paper, but you can't exercise those rights.