Lauren A. Rankin

Bodies on the Line

 
 

bodies on the line

As the courts betray us and our leaders fail us, only we can keep each other safe. In this powerful, empathetic look at abortion clinic escorting, “one of the most under-covered and crucial, lifesaving, rigorous forms of activism out there” (Rebecca Traister), Lauren Rankin offers real hope—and a real call to action for a post-Roe America.

Incisive and eye-opening, Bodies on the Line makes a clear case that the right to an abortion is a fundamental part of human dignity. And now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v Wade, the stakes facing us all if that right disappears have never been higher.
 
Clinic escorts—everyday volunteers who shepherd patients safely inside 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. Deeply researched, featuring interviews with clinic staff, patients, experts, and activists—plus 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 unprecedented urgency of channeling that power.

"Rankin’s passion for women’s health blazes on the page, and she is adept at connecting disparate events to create a cohesive historical narrative...A stunning, compassionate history of an overlooked element within the abortion-rights movement in the U.S."

Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

 

"Abortion rights activist Rankin debuts with a powerful tribute to abortion clinic escorts...Lucidly written and sharply argued, this is a sobering and timely dispatch from the fight to preserve abortion rights.”

Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

 

“Bodies on the Line is a story of the courage, hope, and defiance embodied by generations of clinic escorts and activists—and a timely reminder that the fight for safe and legal abortion has always unfolded not only in courtrooms and legislatures, but in our communities. With this book, Lauren Rankin answers the question posed by so many—‘How did we get here?’—and urges readers to be part of shaping the future of reproductive rights in America.”

Cecile Richards, former President of Planned Parenthood and New York Times bestselling author of Make Trouble

“Bodies on the Line tells the stories of communities that came together . . . to offer patients comfort and protection . . . The book comes at a critical moment for the constitutional right to abortion in the United States . . . The very need for clinic escort teams is a testament to the inability of current laws to secure safe, comfortable care for patients.”

New York Times Book Review

 

"Writer and activist Rankin presents a fervent abortion-rights history from the clinic escort’s perspective . . . An ode to her fellow volunteers and a rallying cry for the fundamental rights that now hang so perilously close to abolition."

Booklist

 

“Where the law has failed to protect abortion patients, grassroots activists have kept showing up. Bodies on the Line is an impressively reported, compassionate chronicle of what it means to truly support abortion access, and the story it tells couldn’t be more timely.”

Irin Carmon, co-author of the New York Times bestseller Notorious RBG