How Did Abortion Become Legal in the United States?
On January 22, 1973, the United States Supreme Court, in a 7-2 decision, handed down two rulings legalizing abortion in America. Prior to these rulings abortion was prohibited in most of the 50 states. In the states where abortion was permitted, such as New York and California, various restrictions had been placed on the reasons for abortion. These restrictions were removed by the 1973 rulings. The Court based its decisions on the “right to privacy,” which it claimed was guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, but which it could not specifically find anywhere. The Court concluded that it was implied in either the Fourteenth Amendment or the “penumbra” of the Bill of Rights.
