In 1973, Richard Nixon was inaugurated for his second term as president, the first cell phone call was made, Heidi Klum was born and Bob Marley and the Wailers released “Catch a Fire.”
As momentous as these events are, it’s doubtful any of them had as far reaching impact as the landmark Supreme Court Case of Roe v. Wade.
Roe v. Wade was the decision on Jan. 22, 1973 that ruled a right to privacy extends to a woman’s decision to have an abortion. Prior to this case, abortions were legal in some states including Washington since 1970, but the Roe v. Wade decision struck down all state laws that prohibited abortion up to the point of viability.
Before Roe v. Wade, women of means with unwanted pregnancies were often able to get abortions from doctors on “therapeutic” grounds, while less fortunate women resorted to dangerous do-it-yourself methods or unlicensed practitioners.
Thirty-nine years later, abortion is a common life event. About one out of three women will have an abortion during her lifetime. It is also a remarkably safe procedure, far less likely to cause injury or death than pregnancy and childbirth.
While parenting and adoption are
options for women with unintended pregnancies, about half of women choose to terminate their pregnancy either by medication (the abortion pill) or by an in-clinic procedure.
With about half of all pregnancies in the U.S. unplanned, abortion has remained a part of the reproductive landscape. It’s never a decision made lightly and women consistently cite concern for the children they already have, their inability to care for a child (often without
a partner), or their economic situation.
Roe v. Wade symbolizes a woman’s right to make her own personal, private decisions about her sexual and reproductive health. On the anniversary of this historic decision, Planned Parenthood stands committed to improving women’s health and defending women’s access to the full range of reproductive health care services. – See more at: file:///Volumes/argonaut$/stories/sections/opinion/stories/2012/Jan/18/a_history_lesson.html#sthash.MttKWKeR.dpuf
As momentous as these events are, it’s doubtful any of them had as far reaching impact as the landmark Supreme Court Case of Roe v. Wade.
Roe v. Wade was the decision on Jan. 22, 1973 that ruled a right to privacy extends to a woman’s decision to have an abortion. Prior to this case, abortions were legal in some states including Washington since 1970, but the Roe v. Wade decision struck down all state laws that prohibited abortion up to the point of viability.
Before Roe v. Wade, women of means with unwanted pregnancies were often able to get abortions from doctors on “therapeutic” grounds, while less fortunate women resorted to dangerous do-it-yourself methods or unlicensed practitioners.
Thirty-nine years later, abortion is a common life event. About one out of three women will have an abortion during her lifetime. It is also a remarkably safe procedure, far less likely to cause injury or death than pregnancy and childbirth.
While parenting and adoption are
options for women with unintended pregnancies, about half of women choose to terminate their pregnancy either by medication (the abortion pill) or by an in-clinic procedure.
With about half of all pregnancies in the U.S. unplanned, abortion has remained a part of the reproductive landscape. It’s never a decision made lightly and women consistently cite concern for the children they already have, their inability to care for a child (often without
a partner), or their economic situation.
Roe v. Wade symbolizes a woman’s right to make her own personal, private decisions about her sexual and reproductive health. On the anniversary of this historic decision, Planned Parenthood stands committed to improving women’s health and defending women’s access to the full range of reproductive health care services. – See more at: file:///Volumes/argonaut$/stories/sections/opinion/stories/2012/Jan/18/a_history_lesson.html#sthash.MttKWKeR.dpuf