Forty years since Roe v. Wade

Forty years ago this month, the Supreme Court ruled on Roe v. Wade, the historic case that made abortion legal in the United States. The Roe v. Wade decision held that a woman, with her doctor, could have an abortion in earlier months of pregnancy without legal restriction, and with restrictions in later months, based on the right to privacy.  Yet a woman’s right to choose remains one of the most divisive issues in America today as states throughout the country continue to pass laws that restrict access to such services.   In the current issue of TIME Magazine, journalist KATE PICKERT looks at the continuing battle over abortion, how it’s being fought and what it means for women.  Then, we talk to writer ADA CALHOUN about her article in a recent issue of the New Republic “The Rise of DIY Abortions.”

Photo: Norma McCorvey, Jane Roe in the 1973 court case, left, and her attorney Gloria Allred hold hands as they leave the Supreme Court building in Washington, DC., Wednesday, April 26, 1989 after sitting in while the court listened to arguments in a Missouri abortion case. The court’s decision may overturn the 1973 Roe v Wade case which legalized abortion. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)