Editorial: Abortion rights triumphed from coast to coast
By Kevin R. C. Johnson | The News-Sentinel
Friday
Mar 10, 2018 at 12:01 AMMar 10, 2018 at 8:26 AM
The Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling legalized abortion nationwide. That’s why you see the first signs of success here in Arizona.
Now, in the spirit of celebrating the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, it’s time to celebrate something else.
In 1973, when Roe was decided, abortion was illegal in most of the United States. But thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling, abortion was legal in every state.
Today, that’s no longer the case. The majority of U.S. states have legalized abortion, and a record number of people took advantage of that option with access to abortion in the first seven weeks of pregnancy; more than 3 million people chose to terminate their pregnancies in the first seven weeks.
As for the remaining states, abortion access is far more limited than in 1973. The states that did pass abortion restrictions went through a series of restrictive laws that restricted abortion access. Then, the Supreme Court’s decisions came down.
Here in Arizona, after more than 30 years of abortion restrictions, the court’s decision in June determined that Arizona is in compliance with the Roe decision.
It was a case that played out in court over the objections of a handful of antiabortion groups. But it was the first time in this country where access to abortion is limited to the first 14 weeks.
The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn restrictions on abortion is just one of the things that have happened in recent years. But what you see here in Arizona is a sign that Roe’s victory is becoming more and more true each year.
Here are four ways Roe is becoming more true in Arizona:
1. More women are having abortions in Arizona.
Arizona now ranks eighth in the nation for the number of
