McBride covers the pro-life, pro-choice, and other opinions of the subject evenhandedly. She presents current opinion and law from around the world as well as the historic and political views from the many court cases and public figures that have forced the issue into the public arena. A good collection of biographical sketches, bibliography, and chronology and statistics makes this title in the Contemporary World Issues series an excellently balanced choice for most reference collections. Stratton, Steve. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

McBride (emer., Florida Atlantic) covers abortion politics in the US, including a modern historical overview of abortion's criminalization in the 19th century, implications of Roe v. Wade, the 1976 Hyde Amendment, RU-486, fetal homicide laws, and more recent issues such as fetal viability and stem cell research. Additional chapters address perspectives on abortion in Western democracies and on other continents, including how the UN and US foreign aid rules influence contraception policies in developing countries; biographical sketches of activists on both sides; how positions are framed and presented in the media; and a chronology (1803-2007). This single volume offers a selection of primary documents, including excerpts from the Comstock Act, the Humanae Vitae papal bull, and Supreme Court rulings and statutes, along with a directory of organizations (governmental, US, and international), charts of current state laws, bibliographies following each chapter, a larger bibliography of pro-life and pro-choice books, videos (both documentary and dramatic), and Internet resources. McBride offers a solid, unbiased introduction to the current political climate surrounding abortion. Summing Up: Recommended. Undergraduate institutions and public libraries; lower- and upper-level undergraduates, graduate students, and general readers. General Readers; Lower-division Undergraduates; Upper-division Undergraduates; Graduate Students. Reviewed by A. B. Johnson. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Dorothy E. McBride is Emeritus Professor of political science at Florida Atlantic University, where she was a founder of the women's studies program. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.