Nearly half of all pregnancies in the US are unintended and yet, under threat of violence and other constraints, the number of abortion practitioners in many states is beyond inadequate -- in some cases, with just one provider for an entire state -- and state-level laws create enormous hurdles for women wanting to terminate their pregnancies. Sociologist Carole Joffe discusses the rise of the anti-abortion movement, the state of abortion access, and American ambivalence about women's sexuality.

The emergence or specter of biotechnologies like assisted reproduction and human cloning has raised thorny ethical issues. According to Marcy Darnovsky, progressives and radicals have not always approached these issues carefully and thoughtfully. Darnovksy talks about designer babies, surrogacy, stem cell research, and much more.

Domestic terrorism comes in many forms, including the kind perpetrated by the killer of abortion provider George Tiller and that practiced by the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski. Eleanor Bader puts Dr. Tiller's May 31 slaying in Wichita in political and historical context. And Susan Choi's latest novel A Person of Interest was inspired by the Unabomber's attacks on scholars.