Feminist Daily News Wire
January-22-13

Roe v. Wade Celebrates 40th Anniversary

The landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the United States, Roe v. Wade was handed down 40 years ago today. While Roe v. Wade established that abortion is a private matter between a woman and her doctor, politicians and anti-choice extremists across the country have worked to restrict abortion access since even before this historic ruling.

2012 saw the second highest number of state-level anti-choice provisions enacted in a year on record. The highest was in 2011 with 93 state laws and regulations restricting abortion access enacted. However, these totals reflect provisions enacted during a calendar year, not legislative session. When considering the 2011-2012 legislative session, a total 136 anti-choice provisions were enacted.

Despite constant attacks on reproductive rights, public opinion on Roe v. Wade has remained steady. According to a new poll by the Pew Research Center, 63% of those interviewed believed that Roe v. Wade should not be completely overturned compared to 29% who favored overturning the ruling. In addition, these findings reflect the same sentiments as the Pew polls conducted in the early 1990's.

Media Resources: Feminist Newswire 1/17/2013, 1/7/2013

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