Abortion in the United States
In 1925, a young woman named Elizabeth Apotheker fell pregnant. She was
freshly remarried. Her previous husband had died in the flu epidemic of 1919, leaving
her with three children to raise. She was the breadwinner of her family, and the same
remained true in her new marriage. She and her husband, who was a law student,
decided to have an abortion because they could not afford for Elizabeth to be out of
work. At this time, abortion was illegal in the United States, so she like many women
sought out an illegal “backdoor” abortion. Access to abortion was incredibly limited and
also very dangerous, essentially women had to go to who they could find to do the
procedure, and who they could afford. Class and race played a major role, the rich
could pay a doctor a hefty price to perform an abortion. The poor and people of color
faced much higher odds in finding care, even sometimes forced to resort to their own at
home methods, which posed great risks to health. Black and brown women faced a
mortality rate that was 12 times higher than that of white women. Elizabeth was able to
find someone who could perform the illegal abortion, and died a few short days after the
procedure, shattering the lives of the three children she left behind.
This tragedy was unfortunately not an uncommon one. Between the years
1960-1973, the year abortion was legalized in the U.S. approximately 2,600 women
died from illegal “back alley” abortions. Some of these deaths were due to the stigma
around abortion, women who suffered complications were often too scared or shameful
to seek treatment post abortion. In the year of 1973 the Supreme Court voted in 7-2
favor of Roe, that women had the right to choose whether or not to carry a pregnancy.
This decision was guided by the principles of a person's right to decisional autonomy,
and bodily integrity. In the three years following the court's decision, illegal abortion
rates dropped from 130,000 a year to merely 17,000. The death rate dropped
dramatically as well. This decision saved the lives of many, and gave women the right
that they are entitled to, the right to choose.
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
