Abortion is Everything

What is an abortion?

Parents and grandparents, educators and people who work with children are desperate for a tool to talk with kids about abortion. Read-aloud books about where babies come from, adoption, miscarriage, and pregnancy abound, but, until now, there exist few guides to conversations about this fundamental aspect of reproductive health.

Abortion is Everything speaks directly to five to eight-year-olds about what abortion is, how it might feel, and why people have abortions. With accessible, inclusive language, Abortion is Everything frames abortion as the actualization of a uniquely human superpower: our capacity to imagine the future and make choices that lead us towards the life we envision. Abortion is a tool that allows human beings to shape our destinies, which has shaped the entire world around us.

Written by artist and educator Rachel Kessler (Wa Na Wari, Typing Explosion) and activist Amelia Bonow (Shout Your Abortion), and illustrated by Emily Nokes (Tacocat, The Stranger), Abortion is Everything introduces the concept of abortion to kids in a way that allows them to define abortion for themselves, before all the politicized noise creates definitions for them. Our current political environment means this critical work has never been more relevant. Abortion is Everything empowers parents and kids to begin rewriting our cultural scripts about abortion at the most foundational level.

Praise

“Pairing bright, charming illustrations with accessible language and non-judgmental facts, Abortion Is Everything is a valuable resource for any parent hoping to talk to their child about the nuts and bolts of abortion.”
—Tessa Hulls, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Feeding Ghosts

“Abortion Is Everything explains abortion in simple, clear, inclusive language. The ability to choose whether to give birth truly shapes our lives and the world, and this book will support kids and their caregivers to have meaningful conversations about this important topic.”
—Dean Spade, organizer and author of Mutual Aid

About the Contributors

Amelia Bonow is the cofounder and executive director of Shout Your Abortion (SYA), a nationwide organization working to normalize abortion and elevate safe paths to access, regardless of legality. Amelia is the coeditor of SYA's eponymously titled book, and has produced creative work about abortion in a range of mediums including visual art, fashion, and video. She resides in Seattle, WA.

Rachel Kessler is cofounder of interactive poetry collaborations Typing Explosion and Vis-à-Vis Society, and collective Wa Na Wari, a residential reclamation project centering Black art and media in Seattle's Central District. She is currently a film professor at Cornish College of the Arts and a beach lifeguard in Seattle. Her illustrations of the PNW urban shore feature in Cascadia Field Guide.

Emily Nokes is a musician, artist, writer, and Seattle’s The Stranger’s arts editor.

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