Abortion in America since 1965

“IT'S an old joke, but when a man argues against two beautiful ladies like this, they are going to have the last word.” Thus began the argument of Jay Floyd before the Supreme Court in Roe v Wade. Mr Floyd duly lost, and 40 years ago today the Court delivered what has become one of its most famous judgments. As the chart below shows, the number of women dying from botched abortions had actually begun to decline before the Court recognised a woman's right to choose: a handful of states had already decriminalised abortion before 1973. Though a majority of Americans believe abortion should be legal, several states retain trigger laws that would come into force if Roe v Wade were ever overturned (see map). Leaving them in place is a cheap way for politicians to place themselves on one side of a culture war without having to accept the consequences of their position. Those who side with Jane Roe point out that states have been piling extra regulations on abortion clinics in the past two years, with the aim of reducing an abortion rate that was falling already. In 2012 states enacted 43 such provisions. In 2011 they passed 92, a record.