Creating Choice: A Historical Critique and Literary Review - Book Report/Review Example

Creating Choice: A Historical Critique and Literary Review Creating Choice: A Community Responds to the Need for Abortion and Birth Control, 1961-1973, written by David P. Cline, is a book which focuses on one Massachusetts community in particular, in this book Cline works by using the personal stories of people who have sought abortions and of birth control and the health care professionals, clergy members, and feminist activists, for instance, of who have helped them to reexamine the incredibly contentious history of reproductive rights in America over the last thirty years.

His work in this particular piece of literature brings together a number of different issues, particularly in regards to the matter of the reproductive rights movement and any and all key and related issues within and surrounding this matter. In order to come to a more informed and knowledgeable understanding on this book, all of these issues need to be discussed, and as well a historical critique should be completed, so that the book itself is not simply reviewed but related to the world in general and in retrospect.

The aim of this paper is to take the stand to the fact of how Cline is using this book to substantiate his belief about reproductive rights and how women should have pro-choice, and about how his view is positive and incredibly influential. By doing this we will not only be able to get a better understanding on the book itself overall, but as well will be able to become more aware and knowledgeable on the subjects involved here overall. This is what will be dissertated in the following. One of the main subjects that are discussed in this book is that of illegal abortions, and how "Before Roe v.

Wade, somewhere between one and two million illegal abortions were performed every year in the United States. Illegal abortion affected millions of women and their families, yet their stories remain hidden" (Cline, 45). Within this book Cline has real-life people who have experienced situations such as this and has had them speak out and tell their stories, and this namely includes citizens of one community in particular which is located in Western Massachusetts' Pioneer Valley. He has people from all ages, races, and backgrounds come forward and open up in this book, as "Doctors, clergy, and members of feminist women's collectives in the Pioneer Valley break provided access to birth control (illegal in the state for single women until 1972) and abortions.

Their work was done in defiance of the law, sometimes in secret, but often surprisingly openly. These activists felt they had no choice but to defy the laws and often met with support from surprising places, like university administrators, church officials, and the local police department" (Cline, 87). Cline goes on to tell of each story in detail, and constantly revolves around the fact of what these women had to go through simply in order to have the laws changed so that they could have reproductive rights and freedom.

When we take these and the other main issues that are described them and relate them to something else major such as the Human Rights Movement, for instance, we can see many different connections. After all, the Human Rights Movement was one movement in particular which created much more freedom for various different rights, including reproductive rights. The Human Rights Movement was one which truly worked to make people more valued and to allow their own beliefs and decisions to be taken more seriously.

This book of Cline's greatly relates to this matter overall, as it shows what women had to go through earlier on in time in order to fight for their rights and to fight for what they believed in. The actual idea of human rights is one which in fact descended from the philosophical idea that of natural rights, and some recognize no difference between the two and regard both as being labels for the same thing, while at the same time some others choose to keep the terms separate in order to be able to eliminate any association that is present with the features that are traditionally associated with human rights.

In regards to reproductive rights in particular, there are many connections here as well, and reproductive rights all stem from human rights and the Human Rights Movement in one way or another, and thus relate to this book by Cline. As stated in the book, "Reproductive rights or procreative liberty is what supporters view as human rights in areas of sexual reproduction. Advocates of reproductive rights support the right to control one's reproductive functions, such as the rights to reproduce (such as opposition to forced sterilization), as well as rights to not reproduce (such as support for access to birth control and abortion), the rights to privacy, medical coverage, contraception, family planning and protection from discrimination and harassment" (Cline, 120).

From this review we can conclude many different things, several which are of particular importance, namely that of how this book Creating Choice by David P. Cline is one which truly has a number of different significant issues that are discussed in detail. A lot of the issue that are drawn upon within this book are not spoken openly enough about in many other areas of the world, including in literature, and so the fact that people actually came forward and discussed their emotional and sympathetic stories in order to not only provide a historical background on the issue of women's and reproductive rights, but as well to show the heartache and trauma that was suffered in order to get to the point of freedom in this regards that is present in the world today; all of this makes the book an interesting and intellectual read for everyone.

Works Cited Cline, David P. Creating Choice: A Community Responds to the Need for Abortion and Birth Control, 1961-1973. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.