Research Guides: Reproductive Rights & Justice: An American History (HIST 4011): Introductory & Reference Sources

Introductory Texts

This is a selective list of books that provide an overview and/or more detailed discussion of various topics covering reproductive rights. The list is folllowed by refrerence resources, e.g. encyclopedias, legal dictionary and citation publications. All titles are available in the Law Library unless otherwise indicated.

Reproductive Justice by Loretta Ross; Rickie Solinger
Call Number: E-book access via De Gruyter ebooks
ISBN: 9780520963207
Publication Date: 2017
Print copy available: Law Library KF3760 .R67 2017
Reproductive Rights and Justice Stories (Law Stories Series) by Melissa Murray, Katherine Shaw. et. al.
Call Number: E-book access via West Academic Study Aids
ISBN: 1683289927
Publication Date: 2019
Access to e-book version limited to U of M Law students, faculty, and staff.
Print copy available on Reserve KF3760 .R46x 2019
A History of the Birth Control Movement in America by Peter C. Engelman
Call Number: Health Sciences Library Storage HQ766.5 .U5 E57h 2011
ISBN: 9780313365096
Publication Date: 2011
Before Roe v. Wade: Voices that Shaped the Abortion Debate Before the Supreme Court's Ruling by Linda Greenhouse and Reva Siegel
Call Number: KF228.R59 B44x 2010
ISBN: 9781607146711
Publication Date: 2010
"Before Roe v. Wade looks back and recaptures how the arguments for and against abortion took shape as claims about the meaning of the Constitution--and about how the nation could best honor its commitment to dignity, liberty, equality, and life"
Abortion in America by Mary Ziegler
Call Number: KF3771 .Z54 2020
ISBN: 9781108498289
Publication Date: 2020
Also available in e-book format via Cambridge Core.
Birth Control and American Modernity: A History of Popular Ideas by Trent MacNamara
Call Number: Wilson Library HQ766.5.U5 M24 2018 (Available online see below)
ISBN: 9781316519585
Publication Date: 2018
Also available via Cambridge Core online access.
Sign of Pathology: U.S. medical rhetoric on abortion, 1800s-1960s by Nathan Stormer
Call Number: Wilson Library General Collection HQ767.5.U5 S769 2015
ISBN: 9780271065557
Publication Date: 2015
Abortion: A Documentary and Reference Guide by Melody Rose
Call Number: Wilson Library Quarto HQ767.5.U5 R66 2008
ISBN: 9780313340321
Publication Date: 2008

Abortion Post-Roe Will women still have access? (CQ Researcher)
By Holly Rosenkrantz, Published by CQ Press, 2022.

Law, Policy and Reproductive Autonomy by Erin Nelson
Call Number: General Collection K3601 .N45x 2013
ISBN: 1841138673
Publication Date: 2013
Fit to Be Tied: Sterilization and Reproductive Rights in America, 1950-1980 by Rebecca M. Kluchin
Call Number: HQ766.5.U5 K58 2011 (Available online see below)
ISBN: 9780813549996
Publication Date: 2011
Also available via JSTOR online access.
Devices and Desires: A History of Contraceptives in America by Andrea Tone
Call Number: Health Sciences Library HQ766.5.U5 T664d 2001
ISBN: 9780809038176
Publication Date: 2001
Assisted Reproductive Technology by Maureen McBrien, Bruce Hale
Call Number: KF3830 .K56 2018
ISBN: 9781641052238
Publication Date: 3rd ed. 2018
Legal Conceptions: the evolving law and policy of assisted reproductive technologies by Susan L. Crockin; Howard W. Jones; Howard W. Jones; Howard W. Jones
Call Number: General Collection K3611.A77 C76 2010
ISBN: 9780801893889
Publication Date: 2010
Test Tube Families: why the fertility market needs legal regulation by Naomi R. Cahn
Call Number: General Collection KF3830 .C34 2009
ISBN: 9780814716823
Publication Date: 2009
Bioethics and Law in a Nutshell by Sandra H. Johnson, Robert L. Schwartz, et. al.
Call Number: E-book access via West Academic Study Aids
ISBN: 9781634604703
Publication Date: 2nd ed., 2016
Access to e-book version limited to U of M Law students, faculty, and staff.
Print copy available on Reserve KF3821 .J64x 2016
See Chapter 2, "Human Reproduction" and Chapter 3 "Genetics."
Health Care Law and Ethics in a Nutshell by Mark A. Hall, David Orentlicher
Call Number: E-book access via West Academic Study Aids
ISBN: 9781684676422
Publication Date: 4th ed., 2020
Access to e-book version limited to U of M Law students, faculty, and staff.
Print copy available on Reserve KF3821.Z9 H35 2020
See Chapter 8 "Selected Issues in Reproductive Medicine."
Health Law (Hornbook Series) by Barry R. Furrow, Thomas L. Greaney, et. al.
Call Number: E-book access via West Academic Study Aids
ISBN: 0314289070
Publication Date: 3rd ed., 2015
Access to e-book version limited to U of M Law students, faculty, and staff.
Print copy available on Reserve KF3821 .H4344 2015
See Chaper 14, "Reproduction and Birth."
Health Law Practice Guide by Alice G Gosfield & Michael F Anthony, et. al.
Call Number: Westlaw
Publication Date: 2010, updated 3 times annually
Health Law Practice Guide is a comprehensive four-volume treatise covering important aspects of health law. "Part II. Patient Care Delivery Issues" includes bioethics, patient's rights issues and more.
Family Law in a Nutshell by John E.B. Myers
Call Number: E-book access via West Academic Study Aids
ISBN: 9781685610401
Publication Date: 8th ed., 2022
Access to e-book version limited to U of M Law students, faculty, and staff.
Print copy available on Reserve KF505.Z9 K7 2022
The Law of Domestic Relations in the United States (Hornbook Series) by Homer Clark Jr., Sanford N. Katz
Call Number: E-book access via West Academic Study Aids
ISBN: 9781647087791
Publication Date: 3rd ed., 2021
Access to e-book version limited to U of M Law students, faculty, and staff.
Print copy available on Reserve KF504 .C55 2021
Topics include: "The Illegitimate Child" (Ch. 4); "Contraception, Sterilization and Abortion" (Ch. 5); "The Legal Position of Married Women" (Ch. 7); "Termination of Parental Rights and Adoption" (Ch. 20).
Barron and Dienes's Constitutional Law in a Nutshell by Jerome Barron, C. Dienes
Call Number: E-book access via West Academic Study Aids
ISBN: 9798887865300
Publication Date: 11th ed., 2024
Access to e-book version limited to U of M Law students, faculty, and staff.
Print copy available on Reserve KF4550.Z9 .B35 2024
Treatise on Constitutional Law: Substance and Procedure by Ronald D. Rotunda, John E. Nowak, et. al.
Call Number: Westlaw and Reserve KF4550 .R63 2012
Publication Date: 5th ed., 2012 (updated annually)
A multivolume treatise. Also available in print volumes on Reserve KF4550 .R63 2012. See Chapter 18 "Equal Protection", VII. Right to Privacy: "Sterilization and Contraception" and "Abortion."
Modern Constitutional Law by William Rich; Chester James Antieau
Call Number: Westlaw and KF4550 .R472x 2011
ISBN: 9780314935700
Publication Date: 3rd ed., 2011
A multivolume treatise. Print copy in General Collection KF4550 .R472x 2011 (updated annually).

Reference Sources

Encyclopedias

American Jurisprudence : a modern comprehensive text statement of American law, State and Federal
Call Number: Westlaw and Reference KF154 .A42
Publication Date: 2nd ed. 1962. Updated Periodically
Also available in print volumes in Reference KF154 .A42. Browse topics, "Abortion Birth Control","Adoption" "Illegitimate Children").
Corpus Juris Secundum (CJS)
Call Number: Westlaw
Publication Date: 1936. Updated Periodically
See topics: Abortion & Birth Control ; Family Planning.
Encyclopedia of Abortion in the United States by Louis J. Palmer, Jr., Xueyan Z. Palmer
Call Number: Wilson Library Quarto HQ767.5.U5 P35 2009
ISBN: 9780786438389
Publication Date: 2nd ed., 2009
Historical and Multicultural Encyclopedia of Women's Reproductive Rights in the United States by Judith A. Baer
Call Number: Digital version EBSCOhost eBooks
ISBN: 9780313011078
Publication Date: 2002
Print version available Law Library Reference HQ765.5 .U5 H57 2002
National Survey of State Laws by Richard A. Leiter and Wendy Leiter
Call Number: Reference Office KF386 .N38
Publication Date: 9th ed., 2022
Digital version available on HeinOnline. Presented in chart format, NSSL allows users to make basic state-by-state comparisons of current state laws. The database is updated regularly as new laws are passed or as legislation changes. Includes family law topics such as abortion and adoption.

State Abortion Laws: Protections and Restrictions (National Conference of State Legislatures)
Provides a table that "lists state statutes on common abortion policies. Please note that the list covers common policy trends; it is not an exhaustive list of abortion laws. Also, note that laws have been changing rapidly since the Dobbs decision. Ongoing litigation in several states will provide clarity on the enforcement of abortion legislation and the trigger laws. NCSL will update this resource as decisions are made and as abortion legislation trends evolve."

State Laws Restricting or Prohibiting Abortion by Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Call Number: eBook available on HeinOnline
Publication Date: Updated Oct. 24, 2023
"This report provides an overview of existing or recently passed state laws prohibiting or limiting abortion prior to 24 weeks' gestational age. It also identifies "trigger laws" that generally prohibit abortion that went into effect, either automatically or following action by a state official, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, as well as new laws passed since June 24, 2022." Also available on at crsreports.congress.gov.

Subject Compilations of State Laws (HeinOnline) This link opens in a new window
The Subject Compilations of State Laws database provides, "... a comprehensive source for identifying thousands of articles, books, government documents, looseleaf services, court opinions, and Internet sites that compare state laws across 3,500+ subjects. It offers users quick access to over 28,000 bibliographic records, many with extensive annotations. Notably, the annotations conveniently link to more than 14,000 articles and documents in HeinOnline, while others connect to case law or external websites. Additionally, users can access current and past volumes in the series and other related works linking to 800+ full-text documents within HeinOnline."

"The database provides access to the State Law Index: An Index and Digest to the Legislation of the States of the United States Enacted During the Biennium, volumes 1-12 (1925-1948), published biennially by the Legislative Reference Service of the Library of Congress. This index aids in identifying session laws by subject enacted by states during the specified years, offering valuable research opportunities."

Abortion under State Constitutions by Paul B. Linton
Call Number: Reserve KF3771 .L56 2020
ISBN: 9781611636840
Publication Date: 3rd ed., 2020
Includes an appendix of the constitutional provisions cited and a topical index.

TRAP Laws - Abortion Facility Licensing Requirements
Created by the Center for Public Health Law Research and Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health Care. "One way states regulate abortions is to impose legal requirements on health care facilities in which abortions are performed. These legal requirements, known as Targeted Regulation of Abortion Provider (TRAP) laws, apply specifically to abortion providers and mandate additional requirements not applied to other similarly situated health care practices. TRAP laws may address various aspects of facilities’ physical environment and operations (e.g., staffing, required practices, hospital transfer arrangements). This website contains interactive datasets for three different types of TRAP laws:"

Legal Dictionaries & Citation

Black's Law Dictionary by Bryan A. Garner, ed.
Call Number: Westlaw and Reserve KF156 .B53 2019
ISBN: 9781539229759
Publication Date: 11th ed., 2019
Note: earlier editions are available on Westlaw and in print in the Law Library. 1st - 3rd editions available on Westlaw's Rise of American Law collection.
Words and Phrases
Call Number: Westlaw
Publication Date: 1940 - . Updated periodically
"Contains judicial definitions, from both state and federal courts, from both published and unpublished opinions. Definitions may pertain to statutory language, court rules, administrative regulations, or business documents, among other sources." Earlier edition, "Judicial and Statutory Definitions of Words and Phrases" available on Westlaw's Rise of American Law collection.
The Bluebook by Harvard Law Review Association Compiled by Columbia Law Review, University of Pennsylvania Law Review, The Yale Law Journal
Call Number: KF245.B58 21st 2021
ISBN: 9780578666150
Publication Date: 21st ed., 2021
Twenty-first edition, 2021. Copies available on reserve and reference office.
Prince's Dictionary of Legal Citations: a reference guide for attorneys, legal secretaries, paralegals, and law students by Mary Miles Prince & Julie Roberts Furgerson
Call Number: Reference Office KF246 .P73 2021
ISBN: 9780837741673
Publication Date: 10th ed., 2021
Especially helpful in clarifying abbreviations to legal resources/titles.