ABORTION.
The
medical or surgical termination of a pregnancy, abortion is one of
the oldest, most commonly
practiced,
and most controversial medical procedures currently performed in the
United States. It has been a legal procedure in all states since Roe
v.
Wade
(1973).
when the Supreme Court ruled that the abortion decision was protected
by a woman’s right to privacy. The Court also noted that the state
has legitimate interests in protecting both the pregnant woman’s
health and potential human life, interests that grow and reach a
compelling point at later states of gestation. Subsequent Supreme
Court decisions have eroded the broad abortion rights articulated in
Roe, while at the same time upholding the general principle of
that
decision. For example, in Webster
v.
Reproductive
Health Services (1989),
and Planned
Parenthood of
Southeastern
Pennsylvania v.
Casey
(1992),
the
Court significantly expanded the states’ ability to place
restrictions on access to
abortion,
so
long
as these restrictions do not impose an “undue burden” on women
seeking abortions.
