WOMAN'S WAR

By ELIZABETH GLEICK

At a political moment when waffling can be a shrewd move and compromise has become the order of the day, Faye Wattleton seems almost a relic. The telegenic and controversial head of Planned Parenthood from 1978 to 1992, Wattleton winces at phrases like "common ground" when applied to the subject of reproductive rights for women. For Wattleton, whose mother was a traveling Fundamentalist preacher for the Church of God, right and wrong--like heaven and hell--are very clearly defined.

Wattleton's personal story, recounted in this new memoir, Life on the Line (Ballantine; 489 pages; $25), provides her with a tidy opportunity to give readers a survey course in the history of birth control and the abortion movement. Trained as a nurse-midwife during the 1960s in New York City's Harlem and in Dayton, Ohio, she spent the early years of her career in the trenches, caring for women and girls forced to deal with the consequences of unintended pregnancies and back-alley abortions. As director of the Dayton Planned Parenthood affiliate, and then as president of the national organization, she was at the forefront of the fight to legalize abortion and of the ongoing battle to prevent the erosion of Roe v. Wade. In her account, her efforts at Planned Parenthood were hindered not only by the forces of political conservatives and the religious right but also by some of her colleagues, balky and "ambivalent" about thrusting the organization into a more crusading role.

One can see how Wattleton's fervor might wear thin. This thoughtful and instructive book is marred only by its author's tendency to sermonize--a trait she would say she inherited from her mother. If she explains once why she believes abortion to be an inalienable right, she explains it a dozen times. And given the readers likely to be interested in this notable woman's story, Wattleton is undoubtedly preaching to the converted.

--By Elizabeth Gleick