January 22: celebrating Roe v Wade

January 22: celebrating Roe v Wade,
the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion in the USA

Legalization of abortion in 1973 dramatically improved women's health. Abortion moved from the back alleys to safe professional clinics. As more doctors began to openly provide it, share their expertise, and work to develop better procedures, abortion became even safer.

In the early 1900's, an estimated 800,000 illegal abortions occurred annually, resulting in 8,000-17,000 women's deaths each year. Today, abortion is the most common outpatient surgical procedure. It is 8 to 10 times safer than giving birth.Today, one in three American women will have an abortion in her lifetime.

On the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, it is imperative that pro-choice Americans send the message to Congress and the White House that we will not go back to the days of illegal abortion. Women's lives will NOT be sacrificed in the name of politics.

Abortion, reproductive and sexual freedom, and self-determination are fundamental human rights of all women, regardless of a woman's socioeconomic, ethnic, racial, cultural or religious background, age, or sexual orientation.

The following links have detailed information about the U.S. Supreme Court and efforts to preserve Roe v Wade.

Roe v Wade - the complete text of the Supreme Court's decision. Understanding Roe from the Center for Reproductive Rights.

Supreme Court Monitor - from Law.com, legal news and information.

Hyde Amendement - Finally under President Obama, there is a real opportunity to end the discriminatory restrictions called the Hyde Amendment that blocks access to abortion care for Medicaid-eligible women and Medicare beneficiaries (the Hyde Amendment), federal employees and their dependents (FEHB), residents of the District of Columbia, Peace Corps volunteers, Native American women, and women in federal prisons.

People for the American Way

History of abortion rights in the USA.

Concentric Media's documentary trilogy by Dorothy Fadiman tells the whole story "from the back alleys to the Supreme Court and beyond." Dramatic stories about the fight to make abortion legal and what happened afterward.

Jane is a documentary film that tells the story of an underground safe abortion network operating in Chicago in the years before Roe v Wade.

A Brief History of Reproductive Rights - by Jessica, a volunteer with Emma Goldman Clinic in Iowa City, Iowa.

Seattle City Council Proclamation on the 30th Anniversary of Roe... "Roe v. Wade is a pillar of social justice and gender equity."

pageg update: August 11, 2009