Throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty-first, abortion has moved from being a largely private and ungoverned matter to one which has been highly politicised. Such politicisation is multidimensional, incorporating the belief in a fundamental argument or polarisation on the issue of who can authorise abortions, why they are permitted and where they are licensed to take place. Politicisation is influenced by social, cultural, institutional and historical factors, yet throughout a range of societies we can see at its core the issue of power and how it relates to gender regimes in specific contexts. Politicisation also has the potential to mobilise, as individual experience is recognised as collective and activism for such collective experience ensues. These arguments, issues and experiences are the focus of this book. Our objective is to demonstrate and analyse this politicisation in a variety of global contexts with the aim of highlighting commonalities, differences and ultimately the factors and discourses which shape women's access to, and experience of, abortion.

The authorship team came together to write this book as we recognised that there was a significant gap in the synthesis of the literature examining global trends in abortion politics. We recognised the need to provide a critical, comparative analysis of contemporary issues within the Global North and South, and to construct a schema of international abortion politics. We understood that current regressions and progressions in abortion politics cannot be viewed in isolation, and so we have also sought to provide a brief historical narrative of the development of abortion law and policy in the twentieth century. We have considered data which allows for identification of trends in abortion access, with a particular focus on unsafe abortion. Interviews with activists, advocates, abortion funders and providers explore these trends from a range of perspectives. The book identifies that while abortion law and policy is constantly changing in national contexts, there are a number of common discourses informing debates and subsequently women's access to abortion.

Each member of the writing team has brought their own expertise and knowledge to the publication, and we have learned from each other throughout the process.