Roe versus Wade

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Roe v. Wade is one of the most important decisions ever made by the Supreme Court of the United States. This case has impacted so many peoples lives and I believe that no other topic linked to the feminist movement has produced as much debate, rage, and passion. Abortion has forever been a controversy among the old and the young, and the rich and the poor. It doesn’t matter who you are, you have an opinion on this topic and it’s most likely a strong one. The controversy stems from the fact that there are so many different stances you can take on the topic (USHistory.org). This paper will discuss the whole case, from how it all began to how it affected the law today. Maybe after understanding the whole case in depth, one can make an informed decision as to what their view about the subject is.
When the United States became an independent nation from England, the English common law was followed by most of the then states not allowing abortion after the mother could feel movements of the baby in her stomach. This moment that a mother feels a baby move is described as quickening. Before 1973, it was the states job to decide the whether abortion should be legal or not in their specific state. For example, Connecticut, in 1821, approved a law that made it harder for apothecaries to carry out the activities of selling poisons to women to purposefully end their pregnancy. Also, in 1829, New York made it a felony to end a pregnancy after quickening and a misdemeanor to have an abortion before quickening. Many people argued that these laws were not made due to ethical concerns, but because of worries about the safety of the method used. By 1900, forty-four states banned abortion in practically all circumstances that did not threaten the he...

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...de | Casebriefs." Casebriefs. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.
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"Roe v. Wade: Its History and Impact." Planned Parenthood. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar.
2014. .
"Two Abortion Cases." The New York Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.
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"WEBSTER v. REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES." Oyez. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar.
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Wilson, Jacque, and Bill Mears. "Before and after Roe v. Wade." CNN. Cable News
Network, 22 Jan. 2013. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. .

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