Milestone one

.docx

School

Southern New Hampshire University**We aren't endorsed by this school

Course

POL 890

Subject

Political Science

Date

Dec 21, 2024

Pages

Uploaded by ChiefDonkeyPerson383

Kaitlyn BaileyMilestone OneSouthern New Hampshire University March 15th, 2024

This paper will look at the history of abortion laws and pertinent court cases that go along with it. I want the focus of this paper to be on how the abortion laws have changed over the yearsand what caused the changes behind it. The first question I am hoping to answer with this paper will have the rights to abortion for women increased or decreased since the beginning? This is important for me to research to see what rights have changed, and if there are any. The second question I want to research is what was the biggest court case that affected abortion in the UnitedStates of America? The never-ending debate on abortion and the history behind them is something almost everyone in America is familiar with. Most people in the United States probably have a viewpoint on it as well. There are two viewpoints we see: pro-life or pro-choice. For example, pro-life would mean that the person does not agree with abortion. They feel as if this is a human from conception and it is murder to abort a fetus. Whereas pro-choice would mean that it is up tothe woman if she chooses to have an abortion or not. It is even common to hear that it is not a baby until birth due to the fact it is in another woman’s body. According to Pew Research the following statistic was shown on how people in America are feeling about abortion currently:“About six-in-ten adults (57%) disapprove of the court’s decision that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee a right to abortion and that abortion laws can be set by states, including 43% who strongly disapprove, according to the summer survey. About four-in-ten (41%) approve, including 25% who strongly approve.” (Blazing, July 15th, 2022). There have been several very important cases and ruling that have impacted the history of abortion. The first case where it gained attention was Roe v. Wade. Roe v. Wade was the first

case that granted women the constitutional right to an abortion. This took place in January of 1973. This changed the history of abortion laws in the United States. (Liu, 2013). The next case hearing came in 1973 as well, Doe v. Bolton. They indicated that a woman should only terminatewhen her life of the fetus's life was in danger. Once again, the Supreme Court deemed this unconstitutional. They declared that went against a woman’s constitutional rights to privacy and liberty interests. Similarly to Doe v. Bolton, there is Grisworld v. Connecticut. This case tried to ban contraceptives. The courts deemed that this went against the constitutional marital privacy rights. (Liu, 2013). Lastly, and the most recent was Roe v. Wade again. In 2023 Roe v. Wade was overturned. This made the right to abortion no longer a constitutional right. It left the right toabortion back in the hands of the states. (Totenberg & McCammon, 2022)The first academically relevant source that present the pro-choice side of the history of abortion will be the following:Legal Information Institute. (n.d.). Roe v. Wade (1973). Legal Information Institute. https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/roe_v_wade_(1973)#:~:text=Overview,a%20privacy%20interest%20in%20abortions. The second academically relevant source that represents the pro-life side of the history of abortion will be the following:Supreme Court rules no constitutional right to abortion in ... (n.d.). https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/LSB/LSB10768

References:Blazina, C. (2022, July 15). Key facts about the abortion debate in America. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/07/15/key-facts-about-the-abortion-debate-in-america/ Liu, J. (2013, January 16). A history of key abortion rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court. Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project. https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2013/01/16/a-history-of-key-abortion-rulings-of-the-us-supreme-court/ Totenberg, N., & McCammon, S. (2022, June 24). Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, ending right to abortion upheld for decades. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2022/06/24/1102305878/supreme-court-abortion-roe-v-wade-decision-overturn