Abortion and Mothering

Heather Jackson, a former teen mom, is now a 30-something single mom of a teen. Currently, she works as a birth doula and an early childhood counselor in Rhode Island. She is co-editor of Feminist Parenting and of Motherhood and Social Exclusion, and her writing has been published by many different websites, books, and zines. She loves bike riding, going to the beach, playing guitar, going to shows, making zines (etsy shop: ramonegirl), and writing.Jessica Shaw is a professor of social work at the University of Calgary (Alberta, Canada) a full-spectrum doula, and a director of Women Help Women (womenhelp.org) – an international feminist organization that supports abortion access in places where it is illegal or highly restricted. She has made the decision to not become a mother thus far in her life.

Abortion and Mothering *brings into focus what is often neglected in discussions of abortion: That abortion is just one experience in the rich complexity of women's reproductive lives. The essays and art contained in this collection help us better understand this richness, and how abortion experiences inform mothering and mothering informs abortion experiences. It is this kind of attention that can help move us beyond black and white debates into more nuanced understandings in our work for reproductive rights. - Jane Kirby, author of *Fired Up about Reproductive Rights*

• Cover Art: The Reproduction MazeWinnie T. FrickDedicationsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionHeather Jackson & Jessica ShawMi Cuerpo, Mi Decisión (pennant 1)Shaun Slifer & Rebecca SusmanAbortion: Mothering, Un-Mothering and the Liminal Space in BetweenMiriam Rose BrookerProtection (embroidery 1)Victoria L PooleAbortion Providers as Mothers, With MothersJessica ShawTrust Women (pennant 2)Shaun Slifer & Rebecca SusmanGoddess Recovers a MistakeAlison Ojanen-GoldsmithOur Bodies, Our RightsMeredith SternRelief or Regret: The Emotional Implications of AbortionMeredith Navarro-McCullarNever Again (pennant 3)Shaun Slifer & Rebecca SusmanAbortive SubjectivitiesLaura MajorMothering, Abortion, and the State: A Modern Orientation towards Values of CareChristina QuinlanTeaching daughters (and sons) that abortion is goodHeather JacksonI Want to Get My Education Straight: The Impact of Pregnancy Decision Making of Contemporary Society and Cultural Expectations of TeenagerSarah BekaertLight at the end (embroidery 2)Victoria L PooleBad Mothers and Staunch Feminists: Genetic Abortions in Mommy Memoirs by Waldman and BeckMary ThompsonTeaching Students Abortion Rights Leads to More Rights For ThemCrystal Michelsthe story of how i got pregnantHeather JacksonContributor Notes