Description

‘A frank, comprehensive and often moving book… A powerful insider account that opens a door into a long-hidden world in which secrecy and shame have been weaponised against women for too long.’ Observer

‘An unflinching insight into the reality of abortion’ Irish Independent

In 2015, Juno Carey left her job as a midwife, burnt out, frustrated and looking for a better way to deliver care to women. And then she found work that she loves, that brings her satisfaction and the knowledge of helping women, directly and fundamentally, every day.

Working in an abortion clinic is not easy, but it is a necessary kindness: Juno’s work changes and even saves lives. In this book she shares the stories of the patients she helps there, young and old, single and married, vulnerable and stoical. She cares for women who are already mothers, women who have had to travel to the UK to get help and those who face unimaginable trauma.

Urgent, illuminating and deeply human, A Necessary Kindness reveals the misunderstood world of abortion clinics, and deals with a complex issue – around which there is still too much taboo and too little understanding – with gentle compassion and bold conviction. These are the stories we need to share, the conversations we need to be having and the rights we need to protect.

Publisher Review

A compassionate, clear-eyed insider’s guide to one of the safest and most common medical procedures. A Necessary Kindness is a testament to the breadth of midwifery and a call for reproductive justice. * Leah Hazard, the Sunday Times bestselling author of Womb and Hard Pushed * Juno tells these important stories with wisdom and kindness. I recommend that everyone reads this book. * Anna Kent, author of Frontline Midwife * In the fight to ensure that all women have access to free, safe and legal abortions, this book is essential. It gives us the facts, insights and stories we need to understand the issues. Indispensable. * Zoe Wanamaker * Juno is fierce and fearless in defending the right to choose. At a time when reproductive autonomy is being curtailed, this book puts women and the people most affected by abortion access at its core. A Necessary Kindness shares the stories of women seeking to end their pregnancies and the people who care for them with compassion and clarity. Juno is nonjudgemental and rejects notions of shame. Her dedication to providing safe and vital abortion care stands out on every page. Now is not the time for complacency, give this book to every anti-choice or apathetic bystander you know. * Benjamin Black, Obstetrician & Gynaecologist and author of Belly Woman *