Reproductive Rights Part 3: The Dobbs Decision and Finding a Middle Path to the Future
TL/DR:
The Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, returning the authority to regulate abortion to individual states.
The pro-life argument centers on fetal personhood, equating abortion to murder, while the pro-choice argument emphasizes personal autonomy and maternal health.
Reproductive Rights Part 2: Roe v. Wade and The Fight Over Reproductive Rights
TL/DR:
The initial broad reproductive rights narrowed due to changing views on when life begins and the influence of the American Medical Association.
Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton established a constitutional right to abortion under implied privacy, creating a trimester framework that effectively legalized abortion nationwide.
Despite the rulings, pro-life movements immediately initiated legislative and legal challenges, culminating in the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade and eliminated federal protection for abortion rights.
Reproductive Rights Part 1: Birth of the United States to Roe v. Wade
TL/DR:
Historically, abortion was legal and common in the early United States, with laws against it only appearing after the "quickening" in 1821 and before conception in the 1860s.
The shift in abortion legality was influenced by the Second Great Awakening's concept of life beginning at conception, the rise of the American Medical Association, and concerns over decreasing Caucasian birth rates.
The criminalization of abortion by 1900, despite leading to dangerous illegal practices, highlights that anti-abortion laws did not stop abortions but instead negatively impacted women's reproductive health.