Renee Bracey Sherman

Hi. I'm Renee Bracey Sherman, a writer, abortion storyteller, reproductive justice activist, and the founder of We Testify, an organization dedicated to the leadership and representation of people who have abortions. My work centers on elevating the voices of people who've had abortions, particularly those who share their stories at the intersections of race, class, and gender identity. I love reading—especially books that include abortion stories. I am the co-host of the podcast The A Files: A Secret History of Abortion for The Meteor and executive producer of the award-winning documentary Ours To Tell about abortion experiences.

My first book, LIBERATING ABORTION: Claiming Our History, Sharing Our Stories, and Building the Reproductive Future We Deserve tells the true history of abortion, how we got to this moment, and what we need to liberate abortion once and for all. Liberating Abortion is the first book on the history of abortion by two Black women who have had abortions.

People of color have been having abortions since the dawn of time, yet our access is under attack like never before. In Liberating Abortion, award-winning abortion activist Renee Bracey Sherman and journalist Regina Mahone illustrate the long racist history that brought us to this moment, uncover the hidden figures who set the foundation activists and storytellers are building on today, and explain what abortion has always meant for people of color. Liberating Abortion will take you on a journey; back to the basics of what an abortion is and how society makes us feel about our experiences, while embracing our sexuality and pleasure along the way.

“An affirmative vision that places abortion within a social justice context, calling for equitable support for all families.”

— Kirkus (Starred Review)

“This book is the rebellious call for reproductive freedom we need right now.”

— Dorothy Roberts, author of Killing the Black Body and Torn Apart
 

“A timely and necessary account.”

— The Honorable Congresswoman Barbara Lee
 

“A powerful vision for what will be possible once abortion is liberated for all.”

— Busy Philipps, actor, author, and abortion activist
 

“Aurprising, enraging and hopeful.”
— Rebecca Traister, New York Times best-selling author of Good and Mad and All the Single Ladies

“Both unflinchingly candid and fiercely hopeful…a gift to future generations.”

— Cecile Richards, author of Make Trouble