..".a richly textured analysis of medical and lay abortion
discourses and practices, artistic representations of the
procedure, and of women's, particularly lower-class women's, own
perceptions and experiences of abortion. Skilfully using an
impressive variety of sources, Usborne provides a meticulous,
insightful, and lively study that questions some of the continuing
assumptions about the Weimar Republic.and provides an exciting
example of how to approach the history of the body." . Medical
History "Based on a careful reading of court files, this
investigation reveals a rich and often ambiguous repertoire of
perceptions and descriptions...Cultures of Abortion is not only the
seminal study on one of the most contested and high-profile issues
in Weimar politics, it is also a superb demonstration of how
'gender' can be used to complicate well established historical
narratives." . German History "With inspiration from
Alltagsgeschichte(history of the everyday) and body history,
Usborne presents a fascinating collection of stories about how
abortion was practiced in both rural and urban, medicalized and
folk-healing contexts... It] performs several valuable services. It
brings us far closer to the actual experiences of Weimar women who
underwent abortions than we have ever been before, it usefully
questions our tendency to respect complex medical procedures over
simpler but often just as effective techniques, and it provides
considerable evidence that the practice and social acceptance of
abortion were far more widespread in this period than previously
appreciated." . Bulletin of the History of Medicine "This revealing
study teases out the various ways that official discourses often
clashed with women s everyday experiences and attitudes towards
abortion...Overall, this monograph is an important addition for any
scholar interested in abortion, the body, medical discourses,
gender and modern Germany." . H-Soz-u-Kult "Usborne provides a
vivid picture not only of...individuals, but of the communities
that they lived in and the social networks that facilitated their
relationships and contacts. Many of her conclusions are
fascinating... a] compelling book." . German Studies Review "The
book includes introductory and concluding chapters that effectively
place the story in the historiography of modern Germany and of
modern abortion and, more broadly, the female body. Usborne's
monograph contains much of worth and interest for scholars and
students of modern Germany, gender relations, sexuality, medicine,
and, certainly, abortion." . American Historical Review Abortion in
the Weimar Republic is a compelling subject since it provoked
public debates and campaigns of an intensity rarely matched
elsewhere. It proved so explosive because populationist,
ecclesiastical and political concerns were heightened by cultural
anxieties of a modernity in crisis. Based on an exceptionally rich
source material (e.g., criminal court cases, doctors' case books,
personal diaries, feature films, plays and literary works), this
study explores different attitudes and experiences of those women
who sought to terminate an unwanted pregnancy and those who helped
or hindered them. It analyzes the dichotomy between medical theory
and practice, and questions common assumptions, i.e. that abortion
was "a necessary evil," which needed strict regulation and medical
control; or that all back-street abortions were dangerous and bad.
Above all, the book reveals women's own voices, frequently
contradictory and ambiguous: having internalized medical ideas they
often also adhered to older notions of reproduction which opposed
scientific approaches."
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