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Undue Burden: A Black Woman Physician on Being Christian and Pro-abortion in the Reproductive Justice Movement
1 in 4 people capable of giving birth will have an abortion in their lifetime.
Abortion is common. It’s everyday. It’s healthcare. Abortion is a moral choice for people who despite the shouting voices around them understand that they have the ability to control their fertility the way people with uteruses have for thousands of years and as they will continue to do for thousands of years to come, no matter the barriers thrown in their path. These people understand that being human means controlling the trajectory of their lives. When faced with a dangerous or unwanted pregnancy, they gather the strength to put away the self-serving opinions of others and listen to their hearts.
Undue Burden argues for these people and for abortion as a moral good using the framework of Reproductive Justice. It lays out why it’s no longer enough for us to say we’re pro-choice, but instead we must proudly proclaim to be pro-abortion. It illustrates how when we force people to continue pregnancies and bring children into the world without providing any of the support systems to help sustain them, we are creating conditions of misery. Through the lens of Reproductive Justice, Undue Burden explains why anti-abortion extremists actually want this misery to exist.
It's time to reclaim the moral high ground from the anti-abortion movement. Undue Burden utilizes the tools of Reproductive Justice to allow pro-abortion advocates to:
Use Christian doctrine to refute extremist Christians
Build intersectional coalitions between diverse groups
Establish abortion care as necessary healthcare
Center the voices of those most affected by anti-abortion laws: Black people, POC, Indigenous people, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ people, and the economically disadvantaged.
Critique why “pro-choice” is no longer the way forward.
Examine how and why abortion was criminalized in the first place.
Understand the various forces of oppression including racism, ableism, misogyny, white supremacy, heteronormality, and how they intersect with the anti-abortion movement.
Author Dr. DeShawn Taylor tells stories of her life, medical training, and practice to center the everyday situations of everyday people struggling with forces outside their control like unaffordable childcare, lack of access to health care, insufficient paid time off, and unsafe communities. She argues that only when we reframe abortion as a social justice issue can we take back the moral high ground from the extremist Christians and “family values” politicians who have controlled the conversation for far too long.
Dr. Taylor shows that ensuring that all people have the right to not have children, have children, and to parent children in safe and healthy communities is the only way to remove the undue burdens that plague our most vulnerable communities.
Reviews
"Dr. DeShawn Taylor is a true physician activist, and this book is a clarion call for action. Dr. Taylor's unique perspective as a physician who provides abortions and engages with her community informs every chapter. This timely book outlines her vision for a more just society and how activism around abortion access at every level moves us closer to that vision, despite the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Avoiding the usual and problematic polarized rhetoric around abortion, Dr. Taylor outlines how we have to move from ' I'm pro-choice but... ' to ' I embrace a future in which all people have access to the healthcare that they need."
- Susan Yanow
Cofounder, Women Help Women
"Dr. DeShawn Taylor has written an important book. It will be a balm to so many who are trying to understand the debate about abortion and gain clarity about their own views. From her perspective as a physician, a Black woman, and a person of faith, she brings elements that many previous books on the topic have not included, but that people I have spoken with over my decades-long involvement with reproductive self - determination sincerely want to know. It is well past time to stop defending abortion rights as an issue separate from the whole person and her right to define her place in the world. Dr. Taylor's proposal for a new narrative could not be more urgently needed."
- Gloria Feldt
Cofounder and President, Take the Lead: Women's leadership and DEI programs for you and your organization
"Dr. Taylor has written nothing short of an abortion care manifesto by providing an entirely new prism from which to address the attack on abortion rights in America. She challenges those in the traditional reproductive rights space to think bigger by arguing that, even while intact, Roe was never enough. In so doing she uncovers the true limitations of "choice" while also uncovering why the current post-Roe response remains woefully inadequate as it, in practice, still leaves millions behind. Instead, she offers a bold new vision to move us beyond a narrow focus on reproductive rights in favor of a much more expansive vision of creating a new reality in America which is truly reflective of reproductive justice. Perh aps her call will spur the type of movement that's necessary to finally produce true reproductive freedom in America, once and for all."
- Avis Jones-DeWeever, Ph.D.
Senior Policy Advisor, Black Women's Roundtable
"Dr. Taylor's training, expertise, and deep compassion for her patients is apparent in each word she writes. Her analysis is as complicated as the lives of her patients. As we grapple with the future before us, one where our bodily agency and autonomy are under constant threat, Dr. Taylor has shared with us a roadmap for the way forward and it is reproductive justice!"
- Jamila Perritt, MD MPH FACOG
President and CEO, Physicians for Reproductive Health
"She provides a holistic and integrative approach to reproductive healthcare and calls physicians, faith leaders, and all of us to the important action of bringing integrated reproductive justice approaches to our service in the world. Undue Burden gives readers the theological, sociological, and medical frameworks to challenge the conservative Christian narratives that have oppressed bodily autonomy, disrupted spiritual agency, and damned people to hell in the process. We should all be grateful that Dr. Taylor is no longer silent about being a provider of faith."
- Rev. Dr. Cari Jackson
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
“Dr. DeShawn Taylor is a true physician activist, and this book is a clarion call for action. Dr. Taylor’s unique perspective as a physician who provides abortions and engages with her community informs every chapter. This timely book outlines her vision for a more just society and how activism around abortion access at every level moves us closer to that vision, despite the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Avoiding the usual and problematic polarized rhetoric around abortion, Dr. Taylor outlines how we have to move from ‘ I’m pro-choice but... ’ to ‘ I embrace a future in which all people have access to the healthcare that they need.”
― Susan Yanow
Cofounder, Women Help Women
“Dr. DeShawn Taylor has written an important book. It will be a balm to so many who are trying to understand the debate about abortion and gain clarity about their own views. From her perspective as a physician, a Black woman, and a person of faith, she brings elements that many previous books on the topic have not included, but that people I have spoken with over my decades-long involvement with reproductive self - determination sincerely want to know. It is well past time to stop defending abortion rights as an issue separate from the whole person and her right to define her place in the world. Dr. Taylor’s proposal for a new narrative could not be more urgently needed. ”
― Gloria Feldt
Cofounder and President, Take the Lead
"Dr. Taylor has written nothing short of an abortion care manifesto by providing an entirely new prism from which to address the attack on abortion rights in America. She challenges those in the traditional reproductive rights space to think bigger by arguing that, even while intact, Roe was never enough. In so doing she uncovers the true limitations of "choice" while also uncovering why the current post-Roe response remains woefully inadequate as it, in practice, still leaves millions behind. Instead, she offers a bold new vision to move us beyond a narrow focus on reproductive rights in favor of a much more expansive vision of creating a new reality in America which is truly reflective of reproductive justice. Perhaps her call will spur the type of movement that's necessary to finally produce true reproductive freedom in America, once and for all."
― Avis Jones-DeWeever, Ph.D.
Senior Policy Advisor, Black Women's Roundtable
“Dr. Taylor's training, expertise, and deep compassion for her patients is apparent in each word she writes. Her analysis is as complicated as the lives of her patients. As we grapple with the future before us, one where our bodily agency and autonomy are under constant threat, Dr. Taylor has shared with us a roadmap for the way forward and it is reproductive justice!”
― Jamila Perritt, MD MPH FACOG
President and CEO, Physicians for Reproductive Health
“Dr. Deshawn Taylor was divinely inspired to start her own medical practice and equally inspired to write this book. Just as it has been her desire that anyone who comes into her clinic would be blessed, anyone who reads Undue Burden will be blessed. She provides a holistic and integrative approach to reproductive healthcare and calls physicians, faith leaders, and all of us to the important action of bringing integrated reproductive justice approaches to our service in the world. Undue Burden gives readers the theological, sociological, and medical frameworks to challenge the conservative Christian narratives that have oppressed bodily autonomy, disrupted spiritual agency, and damned people to hell in the process. We should all be grateful that Dr. Taylor is no longer silent about being a provider of faith.”
― Rev. Dr. Cari Jackson
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
I feel like I’ve just taken a shot of reality versus my perception. I never realized how the narrative was framed around the word pro-choice, but if I am honest, it makes perfect sense. The way Dr. Taylor concludes each chapter with myths and reality shone a light into my own belief systems and is causing me to take a deep look at myself and the conversation I deploy when operating as an advocate for change in this space. I am grateful to have the opportunity to self-reflect on what I truly believe in contrast to what I’ve simply adopted as truth with no merit.
―Alycia Huston
Founder and CEO, Culture Cru
1 in 4 people capable of giving birth will have an abortion in their lifetime.
Abortion is common. It’s everyday. It’s healthcare. Abortion is a moral choice for people who despite the shouting voices around them understand that they have the ability to control their fertility the way people with uteruses have for thousands of years and as they will continue to do for thousands of years to come, no matter the barriers thrown in their path. These people understand that being human means controlling the trajectory of their lives. When faced with a dangerous or unwanted pregnancy, they gather the strength to put away the self-serving opinions of others and listen to their hearts.
Undue Burden argues for these people and for abortion as a moral good using the framework of Reproductive Justice. It lays out why it’s no longer enough for us to say we’re pro-choice, but instead we must proudly proclaim to be pro-abortion. It illustrates how when we force people to continue pregnancies and bring children into the world without providing any of the support systems to help sustain them, we are creating conditions of misery. Through the lens of Reproductive Justice, Undue Burden explains why anti-abortion extremists actually want this misery to exist.
It's time to reclaim the moral high ground from the anti-abortion movement. Undue Burden utilizes the tools of Reproductive Justice to allow pro-abortion advocates to:
Use Christian doctrine to refute extremist Christians
Build intersectional coalitions between diverse groups
Establish abortion care as necessary healthcare
Center the voices of those most affected by anti-abortion laws: Black people, POC, Indigenous people, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ people, and the economically disadvantaged.
Critique why “pro-choice” is no longer the way forward.
Examine how and why abortion was criminalized in the first place.
Understand the various forces of oppression including racism, ableism, misogyny, white supremacy, heteronormality, and how they intersect with the anti-abortion movement.
Author Dr. DeShawn Taylor tells stories of her life, medical training, and practice to center the everyday situations of everyday people struggling with forces outside their control like unaffordable childcare, lack of access to health care, insufficient paid time off, and unsafe communities. She argues that only when we reframe abortion as a social justice issue can we take back the moral high ground from the extremist Christians and “family values” politicians who have controlled the conversation for far too long.
Dr. Taylor shows that ensuring that all people have the right to not have children, have children, and to parent children in safe and healthy communities is the only way to remove the undue burdens that plague our most vulnerable communities.
Reviews
"Dr. DeShawn Taylor is a true physician activist, and this book is a clarion call for action. Dr. Taylor's unique perspective as a physician who provides abortions and engages with her community informs every chapter. This timely book outlines her vision for a more just society and how activism around abortion access at every level moves us closer to that vision, despite the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Avoiding the usual and problematic polarized rhetoric around abortion, Dr. Taylor outlines how we have to move from ' I'm pro-choice but... ' to ' I embrace a future in which all people have access to the healthcare that they need."
- Susan Yanow
Cofounder, Women Help Women
"Dr. DeShawn Taylor has written an important book. It will be a balm to so many who are trying to understand the debate about abortion and gain clarity about their own views. From her perspective as a physician, a Black woman, and a person of faith, she brings elements that many previous books on the topic have not included, but that people I have spoken with over my decades-long involvement with reproductive self - determination sincerely want to know. It is well past time to stop defending abortion rights as an issue separate from the whole person and her right to define her place in the world. Dr. Taylor's proposal for a new narrative could not be more urgently needed."
- Gloria Feldt
Cofounder and President, Take the Lead: Women's leadership and DEI programs for you and your organization
"Dr. Taylor has written nothing short of an abortion care manifesto by providing an entirely new prism from which to address the attack on abortion rights in America. She challenges those in the traditional reproductive rights space to think bigger by arguing that, even while intact, Roe was never enough. In so doing she uncovers the true limitations of "choice" while also uncovering why the current post-Roe response remains woefully inadequate as it, in practice, still leaves millions behind. Instead, she offers a bold new vision to move us beyond a narrow focus on reproductive rights in favor of a much more expansive vision of creating a new reality in America which is truly reflective of reproductive justice. Perh aps her call will spur the type of movement that's necessary to finally produce true reproductive freedom in America, once and for all."
- Avis Jones-DeWeever, Ph.D.
Senior Policy Advisor, Black Women's Roundtable
"Dr. Taylor's training, expertise, and deep compassion for her patients is apparent in each word she writes. Her analysis is as complicated as the lives of her patients. As we grapple with the future before us, one where our bodily agency and autonomy are under constant threat, Dr. Taylor has shared with us a roadmap for the way forward and it is reproductive justice!"
- Jamila Perritt, MD MPH FACOG
President and CEO, Physicians for Reproductive Health
"She provides a holistic and integrative approach to reproductive healthcare and calls physicians, faith leaders, and all of us to the important action of bringing integrated reproductive justice approaches to our service in the world. Undue Burden gives readers the theological, sociological, and medical frameworks to challenge the conservative Christian narratives that have oppressed bodily autonomy, disrupted spiritual agency, and damned people to hell in the process. We should all be grateful that Dr. Taylor is no longer silent about being a provider of faith."
- Rev. Dr. Cari Jackson
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
“Dr. DeShawn Taylor is a true physician activist, and this book is a clarion call for action. Dr. Taylor’s unique perspective as a physician who provides abortions and engages with her community informs every chapter. This timely book outlines her vision for a more just society and how activism around abortion access at every level moves us closer to that vision, despite the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Avoiding the usual and problematic polarized rhetoric around abortion, Dr. Taylor outlines how we have to move from ‘ I’m pro-choice but... ’ to ‘ I embrace a future in which all people have access to the healthcare that they need.”
― Susan Yanow
Cofounder, Women Help Women
“Dr. DeShawn Taylor has written an important book. It will be a balm to so many who are trying to understand the debate about abortion and gain clarity about their own views. From her perspective as a physician, a Black woman, and a person of faith, she brings elements that many previous books on the topic have not included, but that people I have spoken with over my decades-long involvement with reproductive self - determination sincerely want to know. It is well past time to stop defending abortion rights as an issue separate from the whole person and her right to define her place in the world. Dr. Taylor’s proposal for a new narrative could not be more urgently needed. ”
― Gloria Feldt
Cofounder and President, Take the Lead
"Dr. Taylor has written nothing short of an abortion care manifesto by providing an entirely new prism from which to address the attack on abortion rights in America. She challenges those in the traditional reproductive rights space to think bigger by arguing that, even while intact, Roe was never enough. In so doing she uncovers the true limitations of "choice" while also uncovering why the current post-Roe response remains woefully inadequate as it, in practice, still leaves millions behind. Instead, she offers a bold new vision to move us beyond a narrow focus on reproductive rights in favor of a much more expansive vision of creating a new reality in America which is truly reflective of reproductive justice. Perhaps her call will spur the type of movement that's necessary to finally produce true reproductive freedom in America, once and for all."
― Avis Jones-DeWeever, Ph.D.
Senior Policy Advisor, Black Women's Roundtable
“Dr. Taylor's training, expertise, and deep compassion for her patients is apparent in each word she writes. Her analysis is as complicated as the lives of her patients. As we grapple with the future before us, one where our bodily agency and autonomy are under constant threat, Dr. Taylor has shared with us a roadmap for the way forward and it is reproductive justice!”
― Jamila Perritt, MD MPH FACOG
President and CEO, Physicians for Reproductive Health
“Dr. Deshawn Taylor was divinely inspired to start her own medical practice and equally inspired to write this book. Just as it has been her desire that anyone who comes into her clinic would be blessed, anyone who reads Undue Burden will be blessed. She provides a holistic and integrative approach to reproductive healthcare and calls physicians, faith leaders, and all of us to the important action of bringing integrated reproductive justice approaches to our service in the world. Undue Burden gives readers the theological, sociological, and medical frameworks to challenge the conservative Christian narratives that have oppressed bodily autonomy, disrupted spiritual agency, and damned people to hell in the process. We should all be grateful that Dr. Taylor is no longer silent about being a provider of faith.”
― Rev. Dr. Cari Jackson
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
I feel like I’ve just taken a shot of reality versus my perception. I never realized how the narrative was framed around the word pro-choice, but if I am honest, it makes perfect sense. The way Dr. Taylor concludes each chapter with myths and reality shone a light into my own belief systems and is causing me to take a deep look at myself and the conversation I deploy when operating as an advocate for change in this space. I am grateful to have the opportunity to self-reflect on what I truly believe in contrast to what I’ve simply adopted as truth with no merit.
―Alycia Huston
Founder and CEO, Culture Cru