Abortion History-A Brief History of the Abortion Controversy in the United States

Published on   November 24，2024   13:46PM  By Alice

In the United States, abortion laws began to appear in the 1820s, forbidding abortion after the fourth month of pregnancy. 

Through the efforts primarily of physicians, the American Medical Association, and legislators, most abortions in the US had been outlawed by 1900.

Illegal abortions were still frequent, though they became less frequent during the reign of the Comstock Law which essentially banned birth control information and devices.

Some early feminists, like Susan B. Anthony, wrote against abortion, They opposed abortion which at the time was an unsafe medical procedure for women, endangering their health and life. These feminists believed that only the achievement of women's equality and freedom would end the need for abortion. (Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote in The Revolution, “But where shall it be found, at least begin, if not in the complete enfranchisement and elevation of woman?” ) They wrote that prevention was more important than punishment, and blamed circumstances, laws and the men they believed drove women to abortions. (Matilda Joslyn Gage wrote in 1868, “I hesitate not to assert that most of this crime of child murder, abortion, infanticide, lies at the door of the male sex..."）

Later feminists defended safe and effective birth control when became available as another way to prevent abortion, (Most of today abortion rights organizations also state that safe and effective birth control, adequate sex education, available health care, and the ability to support children adequately are essentials to preventing the need for many abortions.)

By 1965, all fifty states banned abortion, with some exceptions which varied by state:to save the life of the mother, in cases of rape or incest, or if the fetus was deformed, Groups like the National Abortion Rights Action League and the Clergy Consultation Service on Abortion worked to liberalize anti-abortion laws.

The Supreme Court in 1973, in the case of Roe v. Wade, declared most existing state abortion laws unconstitutional. This decision ruled out any legislative interference in the first trimester of pregnancy and put limits on what restrictions could be passed on abortions in later stages of pregnancy.

While many celebrated the decision, others, especially in the Roman Catholic Church and in theologically conservative Christian groups, opposed the change, “Pro-life” and “ pro-choice” evolved as the most common self-chosen names of the two movements, one to outlaw most abortion and the other to eliminate most legislative restrictions on abortions.

Early opposition to the lifting of abortion restrictions included such organizations as the Eagle Forum, led by Phyllis Schlafly. Today, there are many national pro-life organizations that vary in their goals and strategies.

Opposition to abortions has increasingly turned physical and evenviolent-first in the organized blocking of access to clinics which provided abortion services, organized primarily by Operation Rescue, founded in 1984 and led by Randall Terry. On Christmas Day, 1984, three abortion clinics were bombed, and those convicted called the bombings “a birthday gift for Jesus”.

Within the churches and other group opposing abortion, the issue of clinic protests has become increasingly controversial, as many who oppose abortions move to separate themselves from those who propose violence as an acceptable solution.

The latest major conflict over abortion laws has been over termination of late pregnancies, termed “partial birth abortions” by those who oppose them, Pro-choice advocates maintain that such abortions are to save the life or health of the mother or terminate pregnancies where the fetus cannot survive birth or cannot survive much after birth, Pro-life advocates maintain that the fetuses may be saved and that many of these abortions are done in cases that aren't hopeless.