Timeline by Delia Brennan

Roe v. Wade - 1973

olsen2172 — 2024-05-09 14:44:05 UTC

Roe v. Wade was a court case between “Jane Roe” who was actually named Norma McCorvey and Henry Wade. This case was a battle over the legalization of abortions in America which, at the time, were illegal in certain states. McCorvey lived was six months pregnant at the time she decided that she wanted to terminate her pregnancy but she lived in Texas where abortions were illegal unless they would save the life of the patient. The abortion, however, would not have been life-saving for McCorvey. Rather, she wanted it because she struggled with substance abuse and had to put her two previous children up for adoption. Wade was a conservative district attorney who was well known and had a high conviction rate. Despite his experience, in the end the court ruled in favor of Roe and legalized abortion with the exception that the government could regulate access based on the stage of the pregnancy.

Social connection:
This made it possible for women who accidentally became pregnant to terminate their pregnancies. Affecting all kinds of people but especially single women, teenagers, and women with health concerns. Some conservatives viewed ruling as a threat to their beliefs since they considered abortion murder. Others were vey happy with the ruling as it provided access to a healthcare procedure that could be very beneficial to many women.

14th Amendment

brennan6178 — 2024-05-09 14:53:12 UTC

The 14th amendment was critical in the ruling of Roe v. Wade. On account of its statement that “[no] State [should] deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”. “Liberty” in this sense has long been interpreted to include the right to privacy. The court ruled the right to privacy includes a woman’s decision to or to not carry out her entire term of pregnancy.

Political connection: The Roe v. Wade case became so important that it was sent to Supreme Court. The Supreme Court justices are experts on the constitution and since they ruled abortion constitutional, it theory it would be hard to deny that it should be illegal. However in 2022, the ruling managed to be overturned. This posed a big political impact since politicians have different stances on abortion. Whether a politician is “pro-life” or “pro-choice” affects who voted for them. This factor can be a big determinant for many American citizens when electing officials, thus the stance that politicians choose regarding the case is crucial.

Moral Majority

brennan6178 — 2024-05-09 14:54:04 UTC

Founded in 1974
The moral majority was initiated in response to, among other things, the ruling of Roe v. Wade. Christian fundamentalists, led by Jerry Falwell, feared that social changes in the 70’s were destroying the presence of their beliefs in the United States. This conservative group identified as “pro-family” and “pro-American”. This group was in support of Reagan and was credited with helping him win the 1980 election. The group viewed abortion as a problem that persisted dissolved as they were unsuccessful in overturning the ruling.

Political connection:
Since this was a political group they helped conservative and Christian parties gain support. Specifically, they helped Reagan get the support he needed in order to win the election, again strengthening the power of the Republican Party in the United States. Even after the group disbanded, they had lasting effects on the support of these groups.

Reagan Administration

brennan6178 — 2024-05-09 14:54:25 UTC

1984 election
The 1984 election was a race between Reagan (Republican) and Mondale (Democrat). Reagan won the election by a significant amount, in theory this would strengthen the pro-life support in the United States. However, the new senate consisted of 4 pro-choice members as opposed to only 3 pro-life members, strengthening the pro-choice party. Overall, the country became widely divided on the topic of abortion.

Political connection:
As the leader of the country, the president has significant political influence on the views of the country as well as how we are politically perceived by the other countries. When the president was pro-life this could have influenced more American citizens who were on the fence to become pro-life as well.

Impacts on the American Society- 1967-1973

olsen2172 — 2024-05-10 13:49:46 UTC

Roe said that the laws that prohibited abortion were unconstitutional, making the services more accessible for women. The world was changing, Roe was a symbol of the difference that was being made. Between 1967 and 1973, Alaska, Hawaii, New York, and Washington repealed their previous abortion bans. Thirteen other states instated limited reforms.

Social impact:

Lawsuits against abortion laws were challenging courts in many states.

June 2022- Overturned

oosthuizen5016 — 2024-05-10 13:51:45 UTC

Not without protest, the constitutional right to abortion was reversed. Justice Clarence Thomas claimed that a woman’s right to abortion is not supported in the 14th amendment.

Social: This was a popular topic on social media and among celebrities, popular singer/songwriter Billie Eilish mentioned it in a popular song called TV.
Political: States can now individually decide their abortion laws and accessibility.

1992- Planned parenthood v. Casey

oosthuizen5016 — 2024-05-13 14:50:48 UTC

A law in Pennsylvania stated that a woman wanting an abortion was required to get permission from her spouse in order to obtain the abortion. This law was overturned considering that it put an unnecessary burden upon the woman.

Social: This caused an outrage from women around the country which turned into many protests.
Political: It was an interpretation of the constitution that changed since Roe v Wade.

Connection

olsen2172 — 2024-05-14 14:58:23 UTC

Women have always had to fight to get equal rights. The government restricted women from being able to vote. It took decades of fighting to be able to have the simple right of voting. Women changed their approach from saying everyone was “created equal” to saying that they need the ability to vote because women are different from men.

Social impact:

Some people swayed in favor for women to vote because they believed their cause would get more votes.

2023 Protests of the Overturning of Roe v. Wade

brennan6178 — 2024-05-15 14:28:37 UTC

At 0:40 seconds, protester Celeste Helm describes the overturning of Roe v. Wade as “blatantly discriminatory”. As Helm pointed out, the overturning was not only a social issue because of gender, but also a class issue. Women with sufficient money to seek out abortions in other states would be significantly less affected than women with less financial privileges and teenagers.

Earliest Abortions - Ancient Egypt

brennan6178 — 2024-05-15 14:29:04 UTC

“Roe” was not the first woman to attempt an abortion. Abortions were seen as early as 3,500 years ago in ancient Egypt. There is talk of abortion that can be found on Egyptian papyrus. In a specific Egyptian medical text there is mention of using a “plant-fibre tampon coated with a compound that included honey and crushed dates.”

Social connection: Many conservatives were acting as if abortion was a new idea at the time of Roe v. Wade. They feared that these “new” things were threatening the stability of their religion and their beliefs in America since they viewed abortion as murder. This basis for their argument, however, was inaccurate since the first abortions were attempted thousands of years prior.

Connection

olsen2172 — 2024-05-15 14:43:41 UTC

African Americans became free from slavery, but there was still was a lot of discrimination and inequality. About half of black men and thirty-five percent of black women had a job. A typical African American family during the twentieth century didn’t own their own home and worked on a farm. People who worked in the North often were forced to work dangerous conditions because those were the only jobs available.

Social impact:

Black workers received more pay as well as more job opportunities for workers.

Primary source

oosthuizen5016 — 2024-05-15 14:58:10 UTC

This young woman was demanding for woman to have a right to abortion after an abortion clinic in Madison Wisconsin closed down in 1971 after 900 illegal abortions were performed there. These protests eventually led to Roe v Wade which took place only 2 years after this picture was taken.

2016- Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt

oosthuizen5016 — 2024-05-16 00:16:43 UTC

This cased challenged a Texas law called HB2, which required abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital and also required abortion facilities to meet the standards of ambulatory surgical standards. This law was being challenged because it placed an undue burden on women seeking abortion which therefore made it unconstitutional. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Whole Woman’s Health.

Social: The case brought to light more issues in reproductive health and was celebrated by reproductive rights activists and advocates everywhere.
Political: It influences more legislative efforts on state and federal levels and sparked many debates among politicians on all ends of the political spectrum.

2020- June Medical Services v. Russo

oosthuizen5016 — 2024-05-16 13:29:55 UTC

Similar to the former law in Texas, Louisiana had a law that required doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. As well as in the Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt case, the Supreme Court ruled the law unconstitutional because it made abortion less accessible in Louisiana.

Social: Women felt significantly more affirmed of their reproductive rights especially Louisiana.
Political: It emphasized the profound affects of judicial appointments on political issues. It also inspired pro-choice and pro-life individuals to continue fighting harder for their side of reproductive rights.

Sources

brennan6178 — 2024-05-16 14:25:22 UTC

Earliest Abortions
https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/23/health/abortion-is-ancient-history-and-that-matters-today-scn/index.html

Fourteenth Amendment
Pusey, Allen. “Precedents: July 28, 1868. The 14th Amendment Is Ratified.” ABA Journal, vol. 102, no. 7, 2016, pp. 72–72. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24807176. Accessed 16 May 2024.
https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/amdt14-S1-6-4-1/ALDE_00013276/

Moral majority
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Moral-Majority

Reagan Administration
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3595819/

Sources

oosthuizen5016 — 2024-05-16 14:30:08 UTC

https://www.oyez.org/cases/2019/18-1323
https://reproductiverights.org/case/whole-womans-health-v-hellerstedt/
https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/news/politics/2022/06/27/roe-v-wade-original-protest-photos/7746360001/
https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/505/833/
https://lawlibguides.sandiego.edu/george_floyd#:~:text=Derek%20Chauvin%2C%20one%20of%20the,of%20guilty%20on%20all%20counts.

Sources

olsen2172 — 2024-05-16 14:47:02 UTC

https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/the-fight-for-womens-suffrage#women-s-rights-movement-begins

https://eh.net/encyclopedia/african-americans-in-the-twentieth-century/

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/great-migration

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/leaving-all-to-younger-hands-why-the-history-of-the-womens-suffrage-movement-matters/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3519038/

https://www.msichoices.org/latest/modern-us-abortion-law-its-impact-on-the-world/

Connection

oosthuizen5016 — 2024-05-16 19:51:29 UTC

In 2020, George Floyd was killed by Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin. This case can be related to Roe v. Wade and the similar cases surrounding it because they were all massive steps forward in long lasting debates. Similarly to Roe v. Wade, George Floyd’s case came to a conclusion after an extreme amount of protests all around the country. While the protests surrounding Floyd’s case were for racial equality and the protests surrounding Roe v. Wade were for women’s rights, they shared similar traits such as extreme passion from the activists, and an ongoing fight that still goes on today.