Abortion_History

Abortion History Throughout history and as long as man has been civilized, abortions have been practiced and still remain to this day. However, their legal status keeps on changing and more and more exceptions are created to kill babies. During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, abortions have been tolerated and ignored. Since the 1600s, the law was that abortions could only be done if the woman had not yet experienced “quickening” or when the mother can first feel him quick. Sadly, this procedure could rarely be proven and so the law was never taken seriously. But as time passed and medical advantages rose, both legislators and physicians wanted to control medical practice and create stricter poison control laws. Between 1821-1910, abortions had become illegal throughout the United States. And the first state to prohibit abortion was Connecticut in 1821, and not long afterwards, the rest of the states passed the same law. When abortions became illegal, confusion spread throughout the nation; because there wasn’t an actual explanation of why one by one each state outlawed abortion. As mentioned, doctors wanted to stop women from using rat poison in order to end their pregnancies. In the other hand, the Great Awakening had arisen and more Americans became religious and were aware about the fetus and meaning of life. Also, another possibility for outlawing abortion could be that doctors were more common and worried about both the mother and baby’s life. However the abortion story began, when privacy rights took a huge switch in 1961. By 1961, thirty states did not allow contraception or birth control in their borders; even so, Connecticut made it illegal even for married couples to use it. But considering that this was a “dead law”, Esther Griswold opened a birth control clinic; but soon afterwards authorities arrested, fined and shut her clinic down. Now this act then proved that the government had control over their residents’ intimate life. But Mrs. Griswold appealed or challenged the US Supreme Court, by stating that the US Constitution guaranteed Americans their right of privacy. Therefore, she said it also protected her customers’ marital privacy. Griswold’s case went to the US Supreme Court by 1965 and the case was named Griswold vs Connecticut. Afterwards, between 1967-1970, some state governments’ began to relax the restrictions on abortion. For example, Alaska, Hawaii, New York, and Washington allowed abortions up until twenty-four weeks of the pregnancy. While sixteen other states only allowed abortions if the mother’s life or health was at risk and thirty states kept the same exceptions (rape, incest, severely handicapped fetus, or if the mother’s life was at risk). By 1970, Texas only allowed abortions to save the mother’s life; however, in that same year a particular event will change abortions’ legal status which it still stands to this day. It began when a single woman named Norma McCorvey sued Dallas county DA Henry Wade, because she said that the Texas law violated Americans’ right to privacy. Ironically, since Mrs. McCorvey was single she used a fake name making people think she was married and so she was known as Jane Roe. (Now this is a tangent-but why would she have to use a fake name' Perphaps it was because, she did not want the jury to think less of her; but changing her name only hides real intentions of why women have abortions. Theoretically speaking, about 50% are unintended and unwanted pregnancies. So if the mother goofed around, why does the offspring have to pay the price') Going back to “Jane Roe’s” case, she used the same defense that Mrs. McCorvey did in order to make birth control legal. So the fact that contraception was legal, encouraged Roe to appeal to the US Supreme Court and her case was known as Roe vs Wade. In 1973, the Court judges agreed with the right to privacy and struck down the Texas law. However, the judges researched and spoke with distinct doctors about the topic, and learned that a pregnancy can be divided into three Trimesters. So the Judges concluded that abortion was legal with one exception: a woman must have 24 weeks into her pregnancy or less to get an abortion, if she does it afterwards its considered murder; because according to the US Supreme Court a fetus is viable or able to live on its own, by the end of the second trimester. To narrow things up, women have every right to abort during their first trimester, but during the second trimester a state could prohibit an abortion only if the mother’s life is in danger. By the third trimester, states have every right to prohibit abortions; consequently, the same exception is if the abortion saves the mother’s life or physical health. Now the final Court decision angered anti-abortion Americans nationwide. Because they argued that killing fetus is a sin against God, but interestingly, Americans who weren’t religious, such as politicians, wanted their states to make their own laws and didn’t want an upper power telling them what to do. They felt that their independence had been ignored and some conservative states took quick action. In 1986, Missouri passed a law that prohibited the 1) use of government money for abortions or abortion counseling (unless the pregnancy was life threatening) and 2) doctors from aborting fetus older than 20 weeks old that were viable. This successfully lowered the abortion rates, but also angered pro-abortionists. The Reproductive Health Services sued Missouri’s governor William Webster claiming that the Missouri law violated a woman’s rights to abort according to Roe vs Wade. As expected, the case reached the Supreme Court in 1989 and was called Webster vs Reproductive Health Services. And for the first time in history, the Supreme Court gave anti-abortionists their first victory by upholding the Missouri law. That same year, Pennsylvania passed a law that restricted abortions if a woman did not 1) wait 24 hours after seeing a doctor, 2) notify her spouse, 3) mother was not told of possible complications, and 4) minors had to have one parent’s consent. Due to these laws, the Pennsylvanian abort rates had astonished decreased. Unfortunately, Planned Parenthood complained that the laws had violated the Roe vs Wade decision and sued governor Robert Casey. The court case was named Planned Parenthood vs Casey, and this gave anti-abortionists a second victory. Because the Court upheld parts 1, 3 and 4 but struck down part 2 because the judges believed it was an “undue burden” for women. Now the only threat that the court could think of was that the husband could use domestic violence against his wife, due to the unplanned and unintended pregnancy. So there wasn’t strong proof to why part 2 was struck down but it was. Surprisingly, abortions’ legal status cannot be solid. Since liberal states want to pass laws that push BACK the 24 weeks limit that was decided in Roe vs Wade: conservatives are creating acts such as the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Law. Here are two very distinct points of views that have been fought for nearly over 200 years, but the whole time states have only created exceptions. In a more logical point of view, Griswold vs Connecticut should have lowered abortion rated not increase them. Because child birth is suppose to lower the risk of getting pregnant, not support it. Now here comes a single women fighting for her right to abort, when she personally could not kill her baby and gave birth to a boy. Throughout each court case, the anti-abortionist have figured out to go around the law and lower abort numbers. But the confusing part is, who wants an abortion' Over 50% are unintended and unwanted pregnancies; which, indicates that less than 30% of the pregnancies in the US risk a mother’s” health”. In the majority of the cases it includes mental health from rape and incest; while, only an actual low percentage can be life threatening. Teenagers, single and married women that played around and want to abort, MUST think things through. Studies show that 85% of women that aborted, regretted and hated themselves. A most very logical procedure would be to give birth and give the child up for adoption, or even a family member can take the baby in. But abortion is not the answer to irresponsible actions, because scientific studies show that a fetus can feel within a WEEK of being created. And if the pregnancy is life threatening due to the vaginal canals, C-sections have been improved and are very safe. This debate has only been getting itself wound-up in all of the exceptions and “privacy rights”; that Americans forget the main idea. No matter how many laws outlaw or allow abortion, the choice is personal and always will be. Women were given the right to give birth , however, it’s not up to them or anyone else to say who gets to live and who doesn’t.