CHART: 40 years later, Roe v. Wade is still under siege
Last year, 43 provisions in 19 states sought to restrict access to abortion
Forty years ago, the Supreme Court voted 7-2 to protect a woman's right to have an abortion in her first trimester, citing the constitutional right to privacy. But now, the pro-abortion-rights Americans who fought to win the landmark Roe v. Wade decision might not recognize today's bruised-and-battered version of the law.
It began in 1992, when the Supreme Court gave states more power to regulate abortion, choosing to judge laws by whether they placed an "undue burden" on the mother, rather than the more rigorous "strict scrutiny" standard. Since then, many clinics that provide abortions have been forced to shutter their doors, and women who seek legal abortions face significant obstacles like waiting periods, mandatory ultrasounds, a lack of insurance coverage, and false medical claims. (North Dakota, for instance, requires doctors to warn patients about the supposed breast cancer risk of having an abortion. That claim has been proven false by the National Cancer Institute, according to Bloomberg BusinessWeek.)
The last couple years in particular seen many wins for anti-abortion activists: According to the Guttmacher Institute, there were more abortion restrictions passed on the state level in 2011 than any prior year, and 2012 had the second highest number. President Obama has reiterated support for both Roe v. Wade and family planning clinics, and ObamaCare mandates employer insurance coverage for birth control. However, financially, it is still difficult for many women to obtain abortions, as 33 percent of patients do not have health coverage, and 31 percent use Medicaid, which doesn't cover legal abortions in many states.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Check out the chart below for more details on how the anti-abortion side has weakened Roe v. Wade since the 1973 ruling:
Sources: Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Daily Beast, Guttmacher Institute (2), New York Times, PolitiFact, RH Reality Check
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Dana Liebelson is a reporter for Mother Jones. A graduate of George Washington University, she has worked for a variety of advocacy organizations in the District, including the Project on Government Oversight, International Center for Journalists, Rethink Media, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and Change.org. She speaks Mandarin and German and plays violin in the D.C.-based Indie rock band Bellflur.
-
Is ChatGPT's new search engine OpenAI's Google 'killer'?
Talking Point There's a new AI-backed search engine in town. But can it stand up to Google's decades-long hold on internet searches?
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: November 5, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku hard: November 5, 2024
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
US election: who the billionaires are backing
The Explainer More have endorsed Kamala Harris than Donald Trump, but among the 'ultra-rich' the split is more even
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK Published
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
1 of 6 'Trump Train' drivers liable in Biden bus blockade
Speed Read Only one of the accused was found liable in the case concerning the deliberate slowing of a 2020 Biden campaign bus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published