As part of the Minnesota Choice Coalition’s celebration of the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Minnesota NOW is thrilled to host Twin Cities-based writers Robin Marty and Jessica Mason Pieklo for a talk about the state of reproductive rights today.

This special event happens on Thursday, January 17, 2013, from 8-9 pm, at the  Ridgedale Public Library (12061 Ridgedale Drive, Minnetonka MN, 55305) The official, very shareable Facebook invitation: https://www.facebook.com/events/318790854897466/

Marty and Pieklo will offer a special preview of their book, Crow After Roe: How “Separate But Equal” Has Become the New Standard in Women’s Health and How We Can Change That. It will be published in April, but you can pre-order your copy now!

From the book’s Amazon listing:

2013 will mark the fortieth anniversary of Roe v. Wade, one of the most divisive rulings ever to shape American politics. In recent years, attempts to overturn Roe v. Wade have reached a fevered pitch. Since 2010 hundreds of bills banning or creating roadblocks to abortion access, contraception, and basic women’s health have been proposed across the United States, with nearly one hundred new laws going into effect. The goal is to create a law that will eventually be brought before the most conservative Supreme Court ever to occupy the bench, in order to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Crow After Roe: How “Separate But Equal” Has Become the New Standard In Women’s Health And How We Can Change That takes a look at twelve states that since 2010 have each passed a different anti-abortion or anti-women’s health law, and how each law is explicitly written to provoke a repeal of Roe v. Wade. The book will detail not just the history of the laws in question, but how they challenge Roe v. Wade and create a reproductive health care system that puts women—especially poor, rural, or those of color—into a separate class with fewer choices or control.

Robin Marty is RH Reality Check’s senior political reporter, focusing primarily on state legislation restricting women’s reproductive rights. Her political, women’s rights, and reproductive articles have appeared in Ms. magazine, Truthout, AlterNet, and BlogHer.

Jessica Mason Pieklo is the assistant director of the Health Law Institute at Hamline Law School in St. Paul, Minnesota. She covers law and politics at Care2.com and RH Reality Check. Her articles have appeared in Ms. magazine, Truthout, and AlterNet.