ABSTRACT
In 1973, the United States Supreme Court, in a landmark decision, ruled that the 50 states could not regulate abortion up to 24-28 weeks' gestation, except as necessary to insure the safety of the woman, and severely limited state legislation of abortion after 28 weeks by a broad interpretation of the "health" restriction. This article will explore (1) the history of abortion prior to 1973, (2) the scope of the Court decision, (3) abortion from the perspective of medical ethics, and (4) the sequelae of permissive abortion 16 years after Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton.
PIP: In the view of a woman physician, the Supreme Court decision in the Roe v. Wade abortion case disregarded Hippocrates as an elitist, and was not in step with ethics of the time. The medical ethics for the last 500 years in western world were formed by this document that brought the obligations of the doctor in relation to the rights of the patient. However, no American medical school takes the oath today. The 1st anti- abortion laws were passed in 1875, when 25 states and territories enacted these statutes. In 1973 the Supreme Court struck down these laws as unconstitutional. Many Americans do not realize the scope of this decision, especially in regard to the terms of meaningful life. In the 1989 Webster case the Court had its 1st chance to reverse Roe v. Wade and return abortion regulation to the states. The collective conscience of the US was blunted by the legalization of abortion on request, and increased the number of couples who take contraceptive risk. The argument about when life begins is a weak justification for abortion, when most medical authorities and even prominent family planners agree life begins at conception. New terminology has been developed to make abortion more acceptable including works like fetus, abortus, product of conception, and phrases like termination of pregnancy. Some studies indicate that women do not experience their depression until many years after the abortion. There is overwhelming evidence of low adverse mental health effects when pregnancy comes to full term and delivery, whether wanted or unwanted. There has also been a large increase in child abuse since the legalization of abortion. Society must seek a better solution to the problem since abortion is not the answer.
