Don’t Breed on Me: A Short History of Abortion is a defiant, funny, and unflinching dive into the millennia-long story of abortion—a practice as old as humanity and as contested as ever. From medieval Europe to Ming Dynasty China, from women enslaved in the American South to German nuns smuggling herbs, abortion has always been here. And so have the people who provided it.
Rooted in global history, folklore, and fierce scholarship, Quasebarth’s book is as joyful as it is furious. She opens with a bang and doesn’t let up, threading together ancient remedies (like crocodile dung pessaries), feminist saints, lost abortifacients, and the enduring power of reproductive autonomy. Want to meet a medieval Italian surgeon who secretly performed abortions in a city that banned women from medicine? Or a Qing Dynasty widow who casually asks her lover for “red flower medicine” after a scandalous affair? Or a granny midwife dedicated to ensuring reproductive control for herself and her community? They’re here, and so are dozens of stories like them—buried, distorted, or erased by colonialism and patriarchy.
Don’t Breed on Me is not just a book about abortion—it’s a call to remember, reclaim, and reframe. For students, activists, and anyone with a uterus (or who knows someone with one), this book is both an accessible introduction and a vital tool in the fight for reproductive justice. Abortion is care. Abortion is power. Abortion is joy.
Madeline Quasebarth (she/her), DrPH, is a Chicago-based public health researcher, writer, and abortion advocate. She serves as Director of Research at Planned Parenthood of Illinois and has spent nearly a decade studying reproductive health, healthcare access, and health equity. Her work has appeared in numerous academic journals, and her first book, Don’t Breed on Me: A Short History of Abortion, explores the long and often surprising history of abortion across cultures and centuries.
Meghan Daniel (she/her) is a mission-driven nonprofit leader, reproductive justice scholar, and healthcare access strategist who serves as the Senior Director of Programs at the Chicago Abortion Fund (CAF), the nation’s largest abortion fund and a national model for abortion access. In her role, she designs programs and partnerships that help thousands of people navigate financial, logistical, and systemic barriers to abortion care, while leading a growing team dedicated to expanding access across Illinois and beyond. Since joining CAF, Meghan has helped strengthen and scale the organization’s service infrastructure during a period of unprecedented demand for care. She leads initiatives spanning direct service delivery, patient navigation, hospital care, healthcare partnerships, and leadership development, helping build systems that support people seeking abortion care across Illinois and the United States. Meghan earned her PhD in Sociology in 2024 at University of Illinois at Chicago, where her research examined state violence, social movements, and healthcare inequities. She brings together scholarship and frontline experience to advance equitable access to care and develop the next generation of leaders working toward reproductive freedom.
