"Rabbit Test" is a 2022 science fiction short story by Samantha Mills, exploring the history of and future of access to

abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...

. It was first published in ''

Uncanny Magazine ''Uncanny Magazine'' is an American science fiction magazine, science fiction and Fantasy fiction magazine, fantasy online magazine founded by publishing editors Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas. History First issued in 2014, the pu ...

''.

Synopsis

In 2091, Grace is 17 years old, and abortion is totally banned. When her government-mandated menstrual tracker implant automatically administers a

pregnancy test A pregnancy test is used to determine whether a person is Pregnancy, pregnant or not. The two primary methods are testing for the pregnancy hormone (human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)) in blood or urine using a pregnancy test kit, and scanning ...

, her life changes. The story follows her over the next several decades, interspersed with vignettes about the history of abortion and pregnancy tests, going back millennia.

Reception

"Rabbit Test" won the

Nebula Award for Best Short Story The Nebula Award for Best Short Story is a literary award assigned each year by Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) for science fiction or fantasy short stories. A work of fiction is defined by the organization as a short sto ...

of 2022,Rabbit Test
at

Science Fiction Writers of America The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, doing business as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association and commonly known as SFWA ( or ) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. Whi ...

; retrieved August 10, 2024 the 2023

Theodore Sturgeon Award The Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award is an annual literary award presented by the Theodore Sturgeon Literary Trust and the Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas to the author of the best short science fiction story ...

,Mills Wins Sturgeon
in '' Locus''; published August 25, 2023; retrieved August 10, 2024 and the 2023

Hugo Award for Best Short Story The Hugo Award for Best Short Story is one of the Hugo Awards given each year for science fiction or fantasy stories published or translated into English during the previous calendar year. The short story award is available for works of fiction of ...

.2023 Hugo Awards
at TheHugoAwards.org; retrieved August 10, 2024 '' Locus'' found the story to be "worthwhile reading", but noted that "some may find it too didactic".Paula Guran reviews ''Tor.com'', ''Apex'', and ''Uncanny''
by Paula Guran; at '' Locus''; published January 9, 2023; retrieved August 10, 2024 ''

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

'' called it "frighteningly prescient". The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2023
reviewed by Marlene Harris, at ''

''; published September 22, 2023; retrieved August 10, 2024 In the ''

Los Angeles Review of Books The ''Los Angeles Review of Books'' (''LARB'' is a literary review magazine covering the national and international book scenes. A preview version launched on Tumblr in April 2011, and the official website followed one year later in April 201 ...

'',

Niall Harrison Niall Sidney Harrison is a British medical writer and science fiction editor, critic and publisher. He was a judge of the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 2006 and 2007 and Guest of Honour at Eastercon 2023. Biography Harrison read biochemistry at Ma ...

lauded it as "one of the most powerful recent examples of rapid-response science fiction" and "an incandescent and unashamed polemic that distills the bitter aftermath of 2022's ''

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ''Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization'', 597 U.S. 215 (2022), is a List of landmark court decisions in the United States, landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, United States Supreme Court in which the court held ...

'' ecisioninto a few thousand words."The Year’s Best Is Dead, Long Live the Year’s Best: On the 2023 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award Finalists
by

; at the ''

''; published September 21, 2023; retrieved August 10, 2024 ''

Strange Horizons ''Strange Horizons'' is an online magazine, online speculative fiction magazine. It also features speculative poetry and non-fiction in every issue, including reviews, essays, interviews, and roundtables. History and profile It was launched in S ...

'' praised it as "fierce and formidable" and "furiously sharp", and noted that in addition to being a story, it is also "an illuminating history lesson about abortion and reproductive rights".Short Fiction Treasures: Quarterly Fiction Roundup
by Maria Haskins, in ''

''; published January 23, 2023; retrieved August 10, 2024 Mills has described the story's success as "wonderful, if bittersweet", specifying that she would "prefer if a story like this ''didn't'' resonate with anyone".In Glorious Tones of Copper: An Interview with Samantha Mills
by Myna Chang, in ''Uncharted Magazine''; published March 29, 2024; retrieved August 10, 2024

Notes

References

External links

Text of the story
at ''

''
Mills's list of sources used in writing the story
at Mills's official site {{Nebula Award for Best Short Story Fiction about abortion 2021 short stories Hugo Award for Best Short Story–winning works Nebula Award for Best Short Story–winning works Works originally published in Uncanny Magazine Locus Award–winning works