Running head: ABORTION BEFORE ROE VS WADE AND THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT 1
Abortion Before Roe Vs Wade and the Voting Rights Act of 1965
Student’s name
HST 321 - Constitutional History/US to 1865
Date
, ABORTION BEFORE ROE VS WADE AND THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT 2
Before Roe versus Wade, how did abortion law and the practice on the ground differ?
Abortion has been and is still a contentious issue in American history due to the various
arguments in place for and against its legalization. However, American history is quite clear
about abortion’s past since in the past decades before Jane Roe’s case, it was illegal in the
country. Graber (1993) states that by 1966, abortion was illegal in over 50 states in the country
except with the situation where the health of the mother was at a risk. Abortion was not allowed
especially when the cause of the pregnancy was either rape or incest. Even though this was the
case at the time, it does not mean that abortion was not prevalent. There were cases of abortion
all over the country where medical practitioners performed illegal abortions every day. What was
disturbing at the moment is the fact that it was only the medical practitioners who were punished
by law for administering the abortions (Graber, 1993). The case of Jane Roe triggered abortion
discussions across the country. Roe was forced to have a child against her wish of wanting to
terminate it. However, after giving birth, she decided to go to court and sue the state’s statue for
barring her from procuring an abortion of the illegitimate pregnancy. As a result, abortion laws
became lax especially during the first trimester. From this, it was clear that the case of Roe Vs
Wade became a turning point in regard to the abortion laws in the United States.
The period before Roe Vs Wade was marred with women’s suffering because most of
them went through psychological torture. Although, it is important to note that even though it
was illegal to procure an abortion, statistics show that over 1.2 million women aborted annually
through illegal abortions and about 5,000 of them died in the process (Graber, 1993). These
statistics show how serious the issue was and that even if it was illegal, there was a dire need to
help those women to avoid the alarming number of illegal and unsafe abortions. Also, Graber,
(1993) says it is important to note that even though abortion was illegal, what was accepted at the
Abortion Before Roe Vs Wade and the Voting Rights Act of 1965
Student’s name
HST 321 - Constitutional History/US to 1865
Date
, ABORTION BEFORE ROE VS WADE AND THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT 2
Before Roe versus Wade, how did abortion law and the practice on the ground differ?
Abortion has been and is still a contentious issue in American history due to the various
arguments in place for and against its legalization. However, American history is quite clear
about abortion’s past since in the past decades before Jane Roe’s case, it was illegal in the
country. Graber (1993) states that by 1966, abortion was illegal in over 50 states in the country
except with the situation where the health of the mother was at a risk. Abortion was not allowed
especially when the cause of the pregnancy was either rape or incest. Even though this was the
case at the time, it does not mean that abortion was not prevalent. There were cases of abortion
all over the country where medical practitioners performed illegal abortions every day. What was
disturbing at the moment is the fact that it was only the medical practitioners who were punished
by law for administering the abortions (Graber, 1993). The case of Jane Roe triggered abortion
discussions across the country. Roe was forced to have a child against her wish of wanting to
terminate it. However, after giving birth, she decided to go to court and sue the state’s statue for
barring her from procuring an abortion of the illegitimate pregnancy. As a result, abortion laws
became lax especially during the first trimester. From this, it was clear that the case of Roe Vs
Wade became a turning point in regard to the abortion laws in the United States.
The period before Roe Vs Wade was marred with women’s suffering because most of
them went through psychological torture. Although, it is important to note that even though it
was illegal to procure an abortion, statistics show that over 1.2 million women aborted annually
through illegal abortions and about 5,000 of them died in the process (Graber, 1993). These
statistics show how serious the issue was and that even if it was illegal, there was a dire need to
help those women to avoid the alarming number of illegal and unsafe abortions. Also, Graber,
(1993) says it is important to note that even though abortion was illegal, what was accepted at the
