The Cider House Rules by John Irving

Still in L.A. (It is really hot here!) My friend L is in New York City for a few weeks for work, so we are more like house sitters than houseguests. I feel free to poke around on her bookshelf.

I notice that L has a statistically significant number of books on her shelf by John Irving. I remember having a conversation about his books with her. While my favorites are The World According to Garp and A Prayer for Owen Meany, L’s is The Cider House Rules.

The Cider House Rules, apart from being a story of an orphan’s coming of age and transformation into a remarkable adult, is an exploration of the abortion debate. It takes place in the early 20th century, before Roe v. Wade. There is a passage near the end of the novel, when Dr. Larch is trying to convince Homer, his medical protégée, to perform illegal abortions despite his moral opposition to them. This argument has stayed with me over the years, and still serves to frame the way I see the debate.

“If abortions were legal, you could refuse—in fact, given your beliefs, you should refuse. But as long as they’re against the law, how can you refuse? How can you allow yourself a choice in the matter when there are so many women who haven’t the freedom to make the choice themselves? The women have no choice. I know you know that’s not right, but how can you—you of all people, knowing what you know—HOW CAN YOU FEEL FREE TO CHOOSE NOT TO HELP PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT FREE TO GET OTHER HELP? …Because abortions are illegal, women who need and want them have no choice in the matter, and you—because you know how to perform them—have no choice either. What has been violated here is your freedom of choice, and every woman’s freedom of choice, too. If abortion was legal, a woman would have a choice—and so would you. You could feel free not to do it because someone else would. But the way it is, you’re trapped. Women are trapped. Women are victims, and so are you.”

That The Cider House Rules is L’s favorite Irving novel makes sense. L has always been a strong advocate for the right to choose. In 2004, she traveled to Washington D.C. to participate in the March for Women’s Lives. I was so impressed that a friend of mine would care so much about the issue that she would travel 3000 miles to march on the Capitol. She showed me her pictures afterward: thousands of men and women gathered for a cause that moved them to action—and there was L, holding a big sign that read, “Vote as if your life depended on it,” waving at the camera with a grin like a million bucks. I was so proud.

The Cider House Rules by John Irving

tags: books book reviews abortion women's rights John Irving