Bodies on the Line: At the Front Lines of the Fight to Protect Abortion in America by Lauren Rankin

A powerfully empathetic and impeccably researched look at abortion clinic escorting, which Rebecca Traister (New York Times bestselling author of Good and Mad) calls “one of the most under-covered and crucial, lifesaving, rigorous forms of activism out there.”

Incisive, eye-opening, and uplifting, Bodies on the Line makes a clear case for the right to an abortion as a fundamental part of human dignity and the stakes facing us all if it ends. Abortion has been legal for nearly fifty years in the United States, but with a new conservative majority on the Supreme Court poised to overturn Roe v. Wade and an emboldened opposition in the street, the threat to its existence has never been more pressing. Clinic escorts—everyday volunteers who shepherd patients safely through the front doors to receive care—are fighting on the front lines by replacing hostility with humanity. Prepared to stand up and protect abortion access as they have for decades, even in the face of terrorism and violence, clinic escorts live—and have even died—to ensure that abortion remains not only accessible but a basic human right. Their stories have never been told––until now.
 
With precision and passion, Lauren Rankin traces the history and evolution of this movement to tell a broader story of the persistent threats to safe and legal abortion access, and the power of individuals to stand up and fight back. Diligently researched, featuring interviews with clinic staff, patients, experts, and activists—including the author’s own experience as a clinic escort—Bodies on the Line reframes the “abortion wars,” highlighting the power of people to effect change amid unimaginable obstacles, and the urgency of channeling that power in the face of the possible end of Roe v. Wade.