Pills and Protest

The Republic of Ireland lived under one of the strictest abortion bans in Europe for decades, then in 2018, their voters passed one of the most liberal abortion provision schemes in the world.Pills & Protest: Abortion Access in Ireland tells the story of how feminist activists strategically used abortion pills to help people while abortion was illegal and to influence the legal and medical changes to come. Drawing on three years of interviews with activists, doctors, and politicians in Ireland, Brenna McCaffrey illuminates the story of how the abortion pill transitioned from a controversial object to a legally recognized medical solution. The result is an energizing story – one of creative protest, passion, and activism in pursuit of reproductive freedom. Pills and Protest demonstrates how understanding medication abortion is essential to understanding reproductive healthcare in Ireland – and globally – today.

Brenna McCaffrey is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at SUNY Geneseo. Her work on the politics of abortion in Ireland has been published in Sapiens, Feminist Anthropology and Medical Anthropology Quarterly. Dr. McCaffrey is active in many efforts to improve abortion access in the United States, including volunteering with the New York Abortion Access Fund, the Miscarriage & Abortion Hotline, and the Online Abortion Resource Squad.