by The Editors
NEW YORK — To mark four decades of women exercising the right to have an abortion and the beginning of a major presidential election year, high profile activists, authors and thought leaders in the reproductive rights and justice movements join Merle Hoffman and On The Issues Magazine for a special issue sparking new conversations around abortion politics and inspiring a more hopeful future for reproductive freedom. The Winter 2012 issue, titled simply, “Abortion” is being launched in conjunction with the release of On The Issues Magazine Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Merle Hoffman’s memoir, Intimate Wars: The Life and Times of the Woman Who Brought Abortion From The Back Alley to the Board Room.
Leading writers and activists such as Gloria Feldt, Amanda Marcotte, Andrea Plaid, and Kathryn Joyce tackle current issues surrounding the intimate topic that continues to dominate our political debates and dinner tables, such as the efficacy of pro-choice organizations, the question of whether we can actually find a common ground, the LGBT women of color community’s role in the movement, and in-depth reporting on the current face of the anti-choice movement. And with U.S. abortion restrictions hitting a record level in 2011, this issue comes at a pivotal moment.
Abortion rights in this country are at a crossroads, says Merle Hoffman. As we enter one of the most hostile political climates against reproductive rights we’ve ever seen, it’s vital that we come together to share our stories, draw on our history and develop fresh, innovative ideas to work toward the day where abortion is no longer a dirty word, but is embraced as a legal and moral right for every woman in this country.
In conjunction with this issue, Hoffman’s memoir, Intimate Wars, was released this month, a book documenting 40 years of her experiences on the front lines of the reproductive rights movement as an abortion provider and activist, and offering her vision for the future of abortion. Excerpts from the book are included in the magazine’s new issue.
It’s time to take abortion back. Through this original collaboration of key reporting, analysis and storytelling by over thirty leading minds in the movement, Abortion and Intimate Wars aims to shift our efforts in a new direction, and look to a brighter future of reproductive choice for the next generation.