Spring Break
A pro-choice vision of the future
Sara Gwin
Issue date: 1/22/08 Section: Forum
On this day 35 years ago, the historic Roe v. Wade case was decided by the Supreme Court, legalizing abortion in the United States. In this 7-2 ruling, it was decided that a woman had the right to an abortion in the first trimester, leaving the states the ability to regulate abortions in ways that are reasonably related to the health of the woman.
Leading up to the Supreme Court decision, there were decades of court cases to establish that the government cannot interfere with certain decisions about procreation and marriage. In the 1965 Griswold v. Connecticut decision, the Supreme Court overturned the state law, which prohibited giving married couples information about contraception. In 1972, the Eisenstandt v. Baird decision made it legal to give that information to single people as well.
Before Roe v. Wade, it is estimated that around 1.2 million illegal "back-alley" abortions were performed each year, leaving around 5,000 women dead and thousands more with serious medical problems from botched abortions. Following the Roe v. Wade decision, there was a dramatic reduction in pregnancy-related injuries and death. A study by the Guttmacher Institute found that legal abortion has been associated with decreases in both maternal and infant mortality. In the latest study, they found that abortion rates are the lowest they have been since 1974.
The legalization of abortion has led to a decrease in abortion complications to the point that having an abortion is safer than getting a penicillin shot. Today, 89 percent of abortions occur in the first 12 weeks, while less than 1 percent occur after 29 weeks.
For many, the Roe v. Wade decision represents a woman's constitutional right to make choices regarding her own body. Jan. 22 is a day of celebration for a right that is close to being lost. In the year 2000, the ruling of Stenberg v. Carhart narrowly kept abortion legal with a 5-4 decision. This opened the eyes of pro-lifers, who realized if President Bush could add pro-life judges to the Supreme Court, Roe v. Wade could be overturned.
Leading up to the Supreme Court decision, there were decades of court cases to establish that the government cannot interfere with certain decisions about procreation and marriage. In the 1965 Griswold v. Connecticut decision, the Supreme Court overturned the state law, which prohibited giving married couples information about contraception. In 1972, the Eisenstandt v. Baird decision made it legal to give that information to single people as well.
Before Roe v. Wade, it is estimated that around 1.2 million illegal "back-alley" abortions were performed each year, leaving around 5,000 women dead and thousands more with serious medical problems from botched abortions. Following the Roe v. Wade decision, there was a dramatic reduction in pregnancy-related injuries and death. A study by the Guttmacher Institute found that legal abortion has been associated with decreases in both maternal and infant mortality. In the latest study, they found that abortion rates are the lowest they have been since 1974.
The legalization of abortion has led to a decrease in abortion complications to the point that having an abortion is safer than getting a penicillin shot. Today, 89 percent of abortions occur in the first 12 weeks, while less than 1 percent occur after 29 weeks.
For many, the Roe v. Wade decision represents a woman's constitutional right to make choices regarding her own body. Jan. 22 is a day of celebration for a right that is close to being lost. In the year 2000, the ruling of Stenberg v. Carhart narrowly kept abortion legal with a 5-4 decision. This opened the eyes of pro-lifers, who realized if President Bush could add pro-life judges to the Supreme Court, Roe v. Wade could be overturned.
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