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Good Catholics

The Battle over Abortion in the Catholic Church

Patricia Miller author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:University of California Press

Published:29th Apr '14

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Good Catholics cover

Good Catholics tells the story of the remarkable individuals who have engaged in a nearly fifty-year struggle to assert the moral legitimacy of a pro-choice position in the Catholic Church, as well as the concurrent efforts of the Catholic hierarchy to suppress abortion dissent and to translate Catholic doctrine on sexuality into law. Miller recounts a dramatic but largely untold history of protest and persecution, which demonstrates the profound and surprising influence that the conflict over abortion in the Catholic Church has had not only on the church but also on the very fabric of US politics. Good Catholics addresses many of today's hot-button questions about the separation of church and state, including what concessions society should make in public policy to matters of religious doctrine, such as the Catholic ban on contraception. Good Catholics is a Gold Medalist (Women's Issues) in the 2015 IPPY awards, an award presented by the Independent Publishers Book Association to recognize excellence in independent book publishing.

"For anyone looking around in the wake of the Supreme Court's recent Hobby Lobby decision and asking, 'How did we get here?' [Good Catholics] provides your answer--and then some... An excellent primer on the dynamic issue of religion in reproductive health issues in the US." -- Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Conscience "Anyone interested in discovering how and why the abortion issue is so inextricably tied up with Catholicism will be fascinated by this important work." Publishers Weekly "The book will likely give off sparks. But if these sparks inspire people to study this potent moral question in an informed manner, it will have done a service to those on both sides of the divide -- and Miller's book is a good place to begin that study." National Catholic Reporter "While evangelical Christians ultimately brought down the contraception mandate, [Miller shows] they had big help from Catholics." Salon "Lends a voice to Catholics who support abortion rights, giving legitimacy to a group that is often overlooked in the abortion debate." Ms. Magazine "A page-turning thriller filled with courageous individuals." -- Lousewies van der Laan, Vice President of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Conscience "Patricia Miller's excellent new book deals primarily with the top-down leadership of the Vatican and the bishops, who, it should be very clear, do not represent the views of most Catholics but are able to spook many politicians into thinking otherwise... Five stars." Free Inquiry "A serious study instead of what could have been a partisan puff piece." -- Mary E. Hunt Women's Review of Books "Thoroughly researched." -- Jim Hinch The Los Angeles Review of Books

  • Commended for Independent Publisher Book Awards (Women's Issues) 2015

ISBN: 9780520276000

Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 26mm

Weight: 590g

344 pages