Pregnant men : practice, theory, and the law / Ruth Colker.

ISBN:

9780585000954

Title:

Author:

Colker, Ruth.

Personal Author:

Colker, Ruth.

Publication Information:

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xvi, 224 pages)

Contents:

The practice of lawyering -- The practice of teaching -- The practice of writing -- Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Robert P. Casey: abortion and private violence -- Bray v. Alexandria Women's Health Clinic: abortion and public violence -- Pregnant men -- Anti-essentialism and equality theory revisited.

Local Note:

eBooks on EBSCOhost

Subject Term:

Feminist theory.

Equality.

Equality before the law.

Format:

Electronic Resources

Electronic Access:

Click here to view

Publication Date:

1994

Publication Information:

Available:*

Shelf Number	Material Type	Copy	Shelf Location	Status
305.4201 20	1:E-BOOK	1	1:ONLINE	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

"An important contribution to the fields of feminist jurisprudence and feminist theory." Mary Anne Bobinski, University of Houston Law Center

Pregnant Men shows how to implement anti-essentialist and equality perspectives in teaching, writing, and the practice of law. Because there are no "pregnant men," equality theory is difficult to formulate in a reproductive health context. Instead, Colker examines cases involving men who are similarly situated to pregnant women and shows that pregnant women are, in fact, treated far worse than "almost-pregnant" men. The individual stories she tells are themselves fascinating, and they demonstrate Colker s model of a more practical feminist theory.

Reviews (1)

Choice Review

As lawyer, professor, and feminist theorist, Colker analyzes legal reasonings on reproductive rights. She considers the benefits of an equality based argument for reproductive choice over privacy based reasonings, which favor middle-class white women. The concept of "the pregnant man" is more than a counterfactual thought experiment; rather, it is a guideline for evaluating proceedings concerning men's reproductive choices. Assumptions about sexuality, pregnancy, and "woman" are mediated by race and class, and in general favor male authority. Thus the law disempowers poor women, most often women of color. Any interference in reproductive rights (e.g., waiting periods) becomes a matter of discrimination. Perhaps weakest in its analysis of the interplay of biology and culture, this work contains the outlines of a general theory of race, class, and gender in the legal system, but the narrative style leaves the theoretical possibilities obscure. For upper-division undergraduates and above; the descriptions of cases and decisions are especially useful. J. L. Croissant Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute