What’s the problem?

Many are familiar with Roe v. Wade as the case that legalizes abortion nationwide, but it encompasses more than just the issue of law.

Roe v. Wade was decided 45 years ago on the right of privacy and the personal freedom that is “a woman’s decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy.” In 1973, it was a crime in nearly all U.S. states for a person to terminate their pregnancy unless it was within the restricted allowances: to preserve the person’s health, in instances of rape or incest or if there was fetal anomaly.

Source: Guttmacher Institute

In the case of Roe v. Wade, however, the Court recognized that there were several psychological, mental and physical detriments that would be imposed upon pregnant women by denying them autonomy over their own bodies. As such, the former ruling outlawing abortion nationwide was overturned and found unconstitutional, allowing safer and more accessible abortion services for Americans.

Source: Business Insider

In 2014, nearly 790 abortion clinics were available throughout the nation. With the increase in hostility toward clinics practitioners as well as obstructive laws being made, however, many of those clinics have shut down in recent years.

Source: Guttmacher Institute