This work provides the first broadly based documentation and analysis of the evolution of abortion from criminal act to personal choice. The author places the abortion question in the wider context of change in the social realm and in law, politics, economics, and medical practice. Dealing with the confrontation between pro-life and pro-choice groups, Davis analyzes feminist interpretations of abortion reform and discusses efforts to create a human-centered procedure that will benefit women themselves rather than doctors or clinic managers. Other important issues covered include the historical inconsistency of abortion laws and their enforcement; social and institutional support systems before and after legalization; social policy and abortion; the effects of legalized abortion on women's kinship ties; the Equal Rights Amdendment; and biological politics.