Here are 4 books written or co-edited by Rachel M. MacNair which
include major pro-life themes. Below those are notes on pro-life
content in other books by the same author. See also web pages:
Friends Witness for A Pro-life Peace Testimony
Feminism & Nonviolence Studies Association.
ProLife Feminism: Yesterday and Today
Second Expanded Edition
Is abortion on "demand" a woman's right, or a wrong inflicted on women?
Is it a mark of liberation, or a sign that women are not yet free? Many
eighteenth- through twenty-first-century feminists have opposed it as violence
against fetal lives arising from violence against female lives.
This book's original edition in 1995, in its “yesterday” section, offered brilliant
essays on abortion and related social justice issues by the likes of suffragists
Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Added for the expanded version,
we find prolife feminist sentiment as early as the 1700s with Mary Wollstonecraft,
author of A Vindication of the Rights of Women. We add evidence from the first
women to get an M.D. in the United States, Elizabeth Blackwell, along with luminaries
Jane Addams of Hull House and Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker movement. We add sections on
slavery, Irish Catholic working-class immigrants, the eugenics movement, midwives, and much more.
For the “today” section, we have recent developments from Serrin Foster, current president of Feminists for Life of
America; Nat Hentoff, a journalist who focuses on freedom of speech; 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari
Maathai; former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto; Jennifer Ferguson, member of Parliament in the African
National Congress Party in South Africa; plus many more. These are in addition to the original articles from a wide
variety of varying perspectives.
The short essays are especially suitable for photocopying to give a variety of approaches tailored to specific classes or
occasions.
Edited by Mary Krane Derr, Rachel MacNair, and Linda Naranjo-Huebl
sponsored by the Feminism & Nonviolence Studies Association (FNSA)
274 pages, including extensive endnotes & index
available in both paperback and hardcover
The publisher's web page offers the table of contents as an excerpt. Single copies can be ordered there, or at:
Amazon in paperback or hardcover
Xlibris offers a 40% discount for non-profit organizations, libraries, classes, and resellers.
Phone: 1-888-795-4274 ext. 276
Email (orders@xlibris.com)
Fax 610.915.0294
statues of Amelia Bloomer first introducing Susan B. Anthony to Elizabeth Cady Stanton on the site where the meeting
occurred in Seneca Falls, New York; the colorful non-statue on the right is Rachel MacNair .
Consistently Opposing Killing:
From Abortion to Assisted Suicide,
the Death Penalty, and War
Praeger, 2008
Edited by Rachel M. MacNair and Stephen Zunes
Several authors offer insight into the connections of issues of violence and the consistent life ethic.
Available from the publisher. Use the code F238 to get a 20% discount on the price; you still pay shipping.
Barnes & Noble members get the same discount but with free shipping.
This is currently out only in hardcover, and Praeger is known for high prices. We are hoping to put it out in cheaper
paperback version later.
Part 1: Connected Problems
Word Games Take Lives
by William Brennan
The Left has Betrayed the Sanctity of Life: Consistency Demands Concern for the Unborn
(classic article in the Progressive)
by Mary Meehan
The Indivisibility of Life and The Slippery Slope
by Nat Hentoff
Israel/Palestine and Abortion
by Stephen Zunes
Understanding How Killing Traumatizes the Killer
by Rachel M. MacNair
Abortion and the Feminization of Poverty
by Thomas Strahan
Direct Killing of Racism and Poverty
excerpts from various sources
When Bigotry Turns Disabilities Deadly
excerpts from various sources
An author's book-reading session at the Peace & Justice
Human Rights and Animal Rights Studies Association,
by Vasu Murti 9/13/2008. Stephen Zunes on left, Rachel MacNair in middle,
other book author David Smith on right. Response was either
Does the Seamless Garment Fit?: positive or at least respectful dialog, with some buying the book,
American Public Opinion showing this to be an effective approach for the pro-life message
by Edith Bogue with peace activists.
Perceptions of Connections
by Rachel MacNair
Part 2: Connected Solutions
Activists Reminisce: An Oral History of Prolifers for Survival
with Juli Loesch, Mary Rider, Mary Meehan, Rachel MacNair
Activism Throughout the Centuries
by Mary Krane Derr
Changing Hearts and Minds
by Mary Meehan
The Law: Its Role in the Consistent Life Ethic
by Carol Crossed
Pro-Life Politics: From Counter-Movement to Transforming Movement
by James R. Kelly
Connecting the Dots -- Nonviolently
by Michael Nagler
Nonviolent Campaigns
by Stephen Zunes
Conflict Transformation: Dissolving "Battle Lines"
by Rachel MacNair
Achieving Peace in the Abortion War
by Rachel M MacNair, Ph.D.,
published by the Feminism & Nonviolence Studies Association with iUniverse
January 2009. Paperback, $16.95. E-book, $6.00
Order from publisher, phone: 1-800-288-4677
Also available at Barnes & Noble and amazon; only available in paperback
Elections come and go, but the United States’ downward trend in abortions has happened
steadily through both Democrat and Republican administrations. There are several reasons
to believe this is likely to continue.
The fragility of abortion practice in the United States is becoming increasingly clear. (People in other countries may also
find useful information in the principles explained here). The real-life experience of doctors and nurses involved in
providing abortion show that they are a weakening link in the abortion chain, and this book explains reasons why this is
so that depend more on psychology than politics.
There is also a vital opportunity in understanding the human mind’s drive for consistency and its link to behavior. When
knowing about how abortion practice has begun collapsing, people find it safer to hear the case against it, and to act in
a more constructive way toward the genuine needs of pregnant women.
The social and psychological dynamics of performing and defending abortions offer many opportunities for stopping
widespread feticide. The more we understand these, the more effective we can be as peacemakers in the abortion
war.
This book makes the case that there are psychological principles that, if understood and used well, can help the
already-established downward decline in U. S. abortions.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part 1: Trauma in Abortion Staff
1. The Well-Kept Secret
2. On the Front-line in the Abortion War
3. Dealing With The Trauma
Part 2: Say What? The Mismatch
4. When Ideas Don't Fit
5. When Abortion Ideas Don't Fit
6. Making Them Fit, No Matter What
Part 3: Trauma and Mismatch Combined
7. The Horrors of the Illegal Period
8. Position of Mastery
9. Post-Abortion Women
Part 4: Where’s the Social Support for Abortion Staff?
10. The Political Movement
11. Colleagues and Clients
Part 5: Escaping the Whirlwind
12. Getting Out of the Business
13. Collapse
Perpetration-Induced Traumatic Stress:The
Psychological Consequences of Killing
Rachel M. MacNair/274 pages/Praeger, 2002
This book introduces the concept of Perpetration-Induced Traumatic Stress (PITS), a form of PTSD symptoms caused
not by being a victim or rescuer, but by being an active participant in causing trauma. For combat veterans,
executioners, abortion doctors, or police officers it can be socially acceptable or even expected to kill. Scattered
evidence of PITS is consolidated, its implications are explored, and exciting potentials for future research are suggested.
Chapter 6 focuses entirely on abortion staff. A small amount of evidence for euthanasia doctors is covered in Chapter 7.
Reviews:
" MacNair makes a unique contribution to the literature. Highly recommended."
- Choice
" [T]his is a very provocative book, rich in ideas, and definitely worth a serious read."
- Contemporary Psychology
Hardcover: $54.95 from Greenwood / Praeger
Or call: 1-800-225-5800 / Outside USA: +44-0-1865-888181
Paperback: $17.95 · Best single-copy price at Barnes & Noble
Or call iUniverse on bulk or class orders, USA: 1-800-288-4677 / Outside USA: 001-402-323-7800 ext 501
Also available from the author at better prices in packets with other books.
Prolife packet listed below.
Also on this web page are a basic introduction and examples of PITS in world literature and personal stories.
DVDs of workshops given at conferences:
1. Integrating the Culture of Peace and the Culture of Life
with lively audience discussion, at the Gandhian Nonviolence conference of 2005
2. Killing as Trauma and Nonviolence as Lively: Two Aspects of Peace Psychology
includes the trauma of abortion staff, at the Historic Peace Churches conference
Pro-life Notes on Peace Education Books
For full description of books, click here. For ordering information and packet prices, click here.
The Psychology of Peace: An Introduction
Though only one reviewer has commented on it, and he stated it as "not proselytizing," comments about abortion or the
prolife/prochoice debate are in each of the eight chapters. Primarily, it's a matter of applying the principles being
discussed to these along with many other applications.
Gaining Mind of Peace: Why Violence Happens and How to Stop It
This is the secondary school version, peace psychology for youth. Prolife comments are few, but enough to make the
book prolife-friendly.
History Shows: Winning With Nonviolent Action
Almost entirely focused on successful nonviolent campaigns throughout history, the idea that unborn children are
included in humans needing protection is mentioned in a couple of places. This includes one small bright-colored
picture of an 8-week gestational age child (page 43).
Working for Peace: A Handbook of Practical Psychology
Peace activists are accustomed to pointing out how activism on other issues is related. The practical advise from
psychology experts in this book is suitable to any social activists, including prolifers.
Email questions or comments to: admin@rachelmacnair.com
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