Just Pills

The Extraordinary Story of a Revolution in Abortion Care

De: Rebecca Kelliher

Narrado por: Stina Nielsen

As women's rights are increasingly under attack, journalist Rebecca Kelliher dives into the gripping history of abortion pills, weaving together the many people who, across decades and continents, have sought to ensure access to these medications.

Spanning more than a century and several continents, with a tenacious cast of feminist activists, scientists, politicians, doctors, and abortion seekers, Just Pills tells the fascinating history of mifepristone and misoprostol, better known as abortion pills.

Millions of women around the world for more than two decades have been using one or both of these medications to safely end their own pregnancies, within or outside the law. These pills continue to hold a promise of expanding abortion access for all. Rebecca Kelliher dives into their invention, their legalization battles, and the ongoing proliferation of care models under bans, deftly introducing people who strive for better.

As women’s rights to control their own bodies are increasingly undermined in the US, this little-known history of the many people behind these life-saving medications will educate, enrage, and inspire.

©2025 Rebecca Kelliher (P)2025 Beacon Press Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Just Pills is an incredible and meticulous account of abortion pills around the world and in the United States. Rebecca Kelliher’s research and journalism shine bright as she details the long history of abortion pills and tells the stories of the women who made it possible along the way. Just Pills is an impressive record of how abortion pills came to be, how they are impacting abortion pills now, and what’s possible for the future.” —Renee Bracey Sherman, author of Liberating Abortion: Claiming Our History, Sharing Our Stories, and Building the Reproductive Future We Deserve

“Just Pills tells the little-known story of the development and use of abortion medications, beginning long before the US Supreme Court legalized abortion in 1973 with Roe v. Wade. In this fascinating and well-written account, Rebecca Kelliher tells a global story of abortion pills up to the present day. It is a story that is as relevant today as it was half a century ago, as women are again fighting for the right to control their own bodies. This book could not be more timely and important.” —Elaine Tyler May, author of America and the Pill: A History of Promise, Peril, and Liberation

“Just Pills is a revelatory work of cultural history, deeply researched and gracefully written. With the battle raging over women’s rights to control their own bodies, this important story could not come at a better time.” —Jonathan Eig, author of The Birth of the Pill and winner of the Pulitzer Prize