I must say, I'm kinda proud of myself. The very first book that I've ever blurbed is now out. It's by Cristina Page and it's entitled, How the Pro-Choice Movement Saved America: Sex, Virtue, and the Way We Live Now. For me, Page's book was a revealing look at what's really driving the Christian right. Reading it made me realize, really for the first time, that religious conservatives aren't simply driven by their opposition to abortion; they're also driven by opposition to out-of-wedlock sex, and, in some cases, opposition to all sex that is not for the purpose of procreation. Page starts out the book by discussing a very interesting conundrum: Why can't pro-choicers and pro-lifers get together and find common ground on policies that would at least reduce the total number of abortions, if not ban abortion altogether? That's the question that leads her into the inquiry at the center of the book, and that eventually brings her to the realization that abortion isn't the only factor in the mindset of the Christian right, and that indeed, its importance may have been exaggerated.
Conservative Christians are cultural traditionalists who are trying to impose a larger moral vision upon society. They're also complete absolutists in their thinking. This leads them to oppose contraception out of the fear that it promotes promiscuity even though wider availability of contraception would nevertheless also decrease the number of abortions (Plan B emergency contraception being a perfect example).
In short, the anti-abortionists aren't necessarily who you think they are: They are far more radical, and way out of touch with mainstream American culture, which has long since accepted the notion of women regulating their own fertility. I hope all of this comes across in my official blurb of the book, which was as follows:
The Christian right is often pilloried, but seldom understood. Cristina Page shows us that pro-lifers aren't just waging war against abortion; they're targeting contraception and even sex itself--abusing science, and causing considerable societal damage, in the process.
So please check out Cristina Page's new book. It's really quite eye-opening.
