The Republic of Ireland lived under one of the strictest abortion bans in Europe for decades, then in 2018, their voters passed one of the most liberal abortion provision schemes in the world.

Pills & Protest: Abortion Access in Ireland tells the story of how feminist activists strategically used abortion pills to help people while abortion was illegal and to influence the legal and medical changes to come. Drawing on three years of interviews with activists, doctors, and politicians in Ireland, Brenna McCaffrey illuminates the story of how the abortion pill transitioned from a controversial object to a legally recognized medical solution. The result is an energizing story – one of creative protest, passion, and activism in pursuit of reproductive freedom. Pills and Protest demonstrates how understanding medication abortion is essential to understanding reproductive healthcare in Ireland – and globally – today.

REVIEWS of PILLS & PROTEST

“McCaffrey documents the compelling struggle for Irish legal abortion, providing vivid ethnographic descriptions of both individual experiences and advocacy campaigns. Divided women’s movements used the technology of abortion pills to transform both private access and public protest, as advocates, physicians, and politicians transformed a stigmatized and secretive act into a routinized procedure. This is an important account!” —Rayna Rapp, New York University

“Brenna McCaffrey’s thoughtful and nuanced book traces the struggles and victories of the abortion pill networks and activists. Through ethnographic fieldwork and interviews with activists, McCaffrey unravels how abortion pills transformed from “contraband” smuggled into Ireland into objects of intense political interest, eventually contributing to the historical expansion of abortion rights in Ireland. A highly recommended read.” —Joanna Mishtal, Lehigh University

“Through rich ethnographic research, McCaffrey’s Pills and Protest explores the crucial, multi-faceted and sometimes contentious role of medication abortion in the campaign for legal abortion in Ireland, unravelling timely and important lessons for pro-choice strategizing beyond Irish borders in a moment of global backlash to reproductive rights.” —Aideen O’Shaughnessy, University of Lincoln

“McCaffrey provides a gripping account of how activists in Ireland mobilized new ‘technologies of protest’ to transform access to abortion. This timely book is essential for those navigating abortion restrictions in the U.S., revealing the power of grassroots organizing in the fight for reproductive rights and justice.” —Kathleen Broussard, University of South Carolina