Without exception Reclaiming abortion, personhood, and freedom

Writer Pam Houston's reproductive life coincided almost exactly with the 49 years during which a woman's right to have an abortion was protected in the U.S. She was 11 in 1973 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Jane Roe in Roe v. Wade. When Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization overturned women's right to safe abortions in 2022, Houston had entered menopause. In Without Exception, Houston explores her history with abortion access and the broader topics of freedom, autonomy, gender, and environmentalism. Structuring her book as 60 mini chapters that feel like meditations, Houston discusses her three abortions and the ways each decision point allowed her to define her life's direction. She highlights the evolution of the dialogue around abortion in the U.S., from protecting women to treating women as vessels for the unborn. With recurring themes of safety, freedom, and the lack thereof, Houston captures the urgency of our current moment in a country that is growing increasingly hostile to the rights of women and other traditionally marginalized groups.