The landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the United States, Roe v. Wade was handed down 40 years ago today. While Roe v. Wade established that abortion is a private matter between a woman and her doctor, politicians and anti-choice extremists across the country have worked to restrict abortion access since even before this historic ruling.
2012 saw the second highest number of state-level anti-choice provisions enacted in a year on record. The highest was in 2011 with 93 state laws and regulations restricting abortion access enacted. However, these totals reflect provisions enacted during a calendar year, not legislative session. When considering the 2011-2012 legislative session, a total 136 anti-choice provisions were enacted.
Despite constant attacks on reproductive rights, public opinion on Roe v. Wade has remained steady. According to a new poll by the Pew Research Center, 63% of those interviewed believed that Roe v. Wade should not be completely overturned compared to 29% who favored overturning the ruling. In addition, these findings reflect the same sentiments as the Pew polls conducted in the early 1990's.
Media Resources: Feminist Newswire 1/17/2013, 1/7/2013
5/20/2013 Afghan Violence Against Women Law Blocked in Parliament - On Saturday, the Speaker of the Lower House of Afghan Parliament delayed a vote on the Elimination of Violence against Women law after two hours of vociferous debate between conservative religious and more liberal members of Parliament. . . .
5/20/2013 Walmart, American Retailers Refuse to Join Bangladesh Accord - Walmart, along with 13 other major North American companies, refused to sign a legally binding agreement to improve working conditions for overseas factory workers that manufacture their clothes after a garment factory collapsed in Bangladesh killing an estimated 1300 workers, the New York Times reports.
The agreement requires retailers pay $500,000 to improve worker safety measures over a five year period. . . .
