Sue Hertz

Ever since the Supreme Court ruled in 1973 that the Constitution protects the rights of American women to safe, legal abortions, millions of words have been written – and shouted – on the subject. But not until Caught in the Crossfire has anyone attempted to capture the full range of human drama unfolding at the heart of the abortion wars. Seasoned journalist Sue Hertz spent a year behind the scenes at New England’s largest abortion clinic, and in the streets around it, to write this gripping narrative. She cuts through the rhetoric and headlines of ordinary Americans who confront the abortion crisis every day. Here are clinic staffers who balance their commitments to their patients with the daily challenges of picketers and bomb threats, the police who must separate hostile protestors raging their rhetoric, and the patients themselves who must elbow their way through the throbbing mob to fulfill the most painful, solitary decision of their lives. A surprising twist is how hope and humor persist in this unlikely setting.

Caught in the Crossfire is as rich in character and conflict as a novel, and as timely as tomorrow’s headlines. It is a must-read for every American struggling with the complex and conflicting passions roused by abortion rights.