Paving (or Unpaving) the Way to Safe, Legal Abortion: SCOTUS Cases

In the United States, abortion was not made legal by law, but rather by the Supreme Court. In 1973, SCOTUS found that abortion is a fundamental right under the right to privacy in Roe v. Wade. This constitutional right to privacy had been established by Griswold v. Connecticut, in 1965, a case in which an anti-contraception law was struck down due to the right to marital privacy. Consequently, the fight to restrict abortion access has been handled through the courts. There have been a number of landmark cases that shape the current state of abortion access. These include Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992) and Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstedt (2016) which, alongside many other cases, have established certain legal guidelines affected abortion care. There are entire courses devoted to cases related to abortion and reproductive rights legislation, but here are a few resources about where we are today and how we got here.


An Overview of all Significant Supreme Court cases about abortion since 1973:


The rundown from 1973 – 2013:


A better look at what Roe v. Wade really was and what it meant:


Wondering what might happen in Roe v. Wade is overturned?


For some communities, Roe v. Wade has functionally been overturned: 


Understanding the decades long process of chipping away at Roe v. Wade:

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