Tuesday, January 22, 2008

This Day in History

On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court legalized abortion. The decision of Roe vs.Wade made it possible for women to have an abortion during the first two trimesters of their pregnancy.

The controversial ruling, essentially reversing a century of anti-abortion legislation in the United States, was the result of a call by many American women for control over their own reproductive processes. Although defended by the Supreme Court on several occasions, the legalization of abortion became a divisive and intensely emotional public issue. The debate intensified during the 1980s, and both pro-choice and pro-life organizations strengthened their membership and political influence.

The estimated number of abortions performed since 1973 is 46 million. Each year, in the United States, according to statistics, there are 1.3 million abortions performed. Most are performed before 9 weeks and the least after 21 weeks.
Among the physical risks are infection, perforation of the uterus, hemorrhage, cervical incompetence, cancer, and even death. More information on the physical risks of abortion is available from the Elliot Institute.

Among the psychological risks are regret, nervous disorders, sleep disturbances, sexual dysfunction, suicide, alcohol & drug abuse, eating disorders, child neglect or abuse, divorce or chronic relationship problems, and repeat abortion. More information on the psychological risks of abortion is available from the Elliot Institute.

Linked at Conservative Cat

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2 Comments:

Cindy Swanson said...

Thanks for this post! I realized, belatedly, that I failed to post about the 35th anniversary of Roe v Wade yesterday...even though I talked about it a lot on the radio. You focused on it very well!

Barbara said...

You are welcome, Cindy. Upon reading your note, I re-read my article, realizing I had put 1972 instead of 1973.