{"id":20944,"date":"2023-01-05T12:53:19","date_gmt":"2023-01-05T11:53:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.historyextra.com\/?p=222396"},"modified":"2023-01-05T14:35:18","modified_gmt":"2023-01-05T13:35:18","slug":"the-long-fight-over-abortion-rights-in-the-united-states","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/rss_feed\/the-long-fight-over-abortion-rights-in-the-united-states\/","title":{"rendered":"The long fight over abortion rights in the United States"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Elinor Evans\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 05 January 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

The 2022 US midterm elections were long expected to be a referendum on Joe Biden\u2019s time as president and the nation\u2019s inflation-ridden economy, but then came a summer surprise: the US Supreme Court returned a precedent-shattering decision that the federal constitution does not protect a right to abortion. Overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade opinion, the court granted each state the power to regulate access to abortion.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, the issue \u2013 at times dismissed as politically unviable by both Democrats and Republicans \u2013 returned to the ballot with fervour. According to US non-profit organisation the Kaiser Family Foundation, nearly 40 per cent of poll-goers reported the court\u2019s ruling had a \u201cmajor impact\u201d on their decision to vote, contributing to the Democratic party\u2019s stronger than expected performance.<\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Protesters march through Washington DC in support of abortion rights and birth control, March 1986. The issue has long prompted strong feelings in the United States on both sides of the argument. (Image by Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Fifty years have passed since the Supreme Court first upheld a woman\u2019s constitutional right to abortion in Roe v Wade. Yet the recent reversal, and ensuing pushback, highlights how central it remains to the American political psyche. Indeed, although it is often elevated as the singular moment of abortion history in the United States, the case \u2013 and its place in the nation\u2019s broader medical, racial and social histories \u2013 also provides overlooked insights into currents that still influence debates around the subject today.<\/p>\n

In 1970, when unwed 21-year-old Norma McCorvey was five months pregnant in Texas, abortion was prohibited except when the pregnancy threatened the mother\u2019s life. Pseudonymised as \u201cJane Roe\u201d, McCorvey sued district attorney Henry Wade, seeking permission for an abortion and to overturn the state\u2019s ban on the procedure.<\/p>\n

Notably, neither women nor foetuses featured prominently in Roe v Wade. Instead, it foregrounded the rights of doctors to act in their patients\u2019 best interests <\/blockquote> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>

McCorvey did not receive an abortion, but three years later the Supreme Court released its ruling. The majority argued that the 14th Amendment of the constitution enshrined a \u201cright to privacy\u201d protecting the decision of a woman and her physician about whether to carry a pregnancy to term. However, the court also held that the right to abortion must be balanced against the protection of potential life. Notably, neither women nor foetuses featured prominently in the decision. Instead, it foregrounded the rights of doctors to medically act in the best interest of their patients \u2013 largely sidestepping debates over bodily autonomy and reproductive rights.<\/p>\n