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American Medical Association(AMA)
The American Medical Association(AMA) doesn't approve of and judges abortion as they believed it was "The slaughter... murderous and unwanted destruction of human life." They deemed it unlawful and unprofessional for a physician to induce abortion. -
The Comstock Act
The Comstock Act was established in 1873 in result of the belief that abortion was interference with God's natural order. It stated that no information about abortion or materials should be sent, whether it be through mail or other devices. It was illegal to send "obscene, literature and articles of immoral use." -
Model Penal Code
The American Law Institute(ALI) proposed this code for state abortion laws. It supports legalizing abortion for justifiable reasons such as, the mental or physical health of the mother or in cases of rape, incest and child deformity. However, a person who unjustifiably performs the abortion is considered to have committed a felony. -
Colorado Accepts Abortion
Governor of Colorado, John Arthur Love signed the first American Law Institute model abortion law in the United States. It allowed abortion in cases of physical and mental illness/disability of the mother or child in cases of rape, incest or health threat to the mother's life. Colorado became the first state to allow abortion in these cases and circumstances. -
United States v. Vuitch
Up until this, 14 states were allowing abortion under certain circumstances regarding health issues. On April 21, The U.S was involved in its first case regarding abortion. The District of Columbia issued a law against abortion unless "necessary for the preservation of the mother's life or health." A physician named, Milan Vuitch violated this act, which was stated to be too vague. The court clears that by "health" they mean "psychological and physical well being." Therefore was not vague. -
Roe v. Wade
High school dropout, Norma McCorvey wanted to have an abortion in Texas. She issued federal action against district attorney Henry Wade as they disagreed over the right to terminate pregnancy. In Texas, abortion was only justified when it would save a woman's life or health. McCorvey challenged the constitutionality of this. The U.S Supreme Court held that criminalizing abortion violated a woman’s constitutional right of privacy, which is supported by the Fourteenth Amendment. -
Doe v. Bolton
On the same day, Mary Doe, a Georgia citizen was denied the right to have an abortion because she didn't meet the required conditions. She challenged pro-life speaker and activist, Arthur Bolton. She deemed this law unconstitutional and gained the support of other physicians. The U.S Supreme Court defined "health" to include all factors that affect women such as, "physical, emotional, psychological, familial, and the woman's age." This allowed abortion at any time for any reason. -
Planned Parenthood v. Casey
Planned Parenthood challenged the five provisions of the Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act of 1982. Those included requirements of informed consent, a 24-hour waiting period, parental consent for minors, and notification of the husband. The court outlawed any restrictions that “impose an undue burden” on a woman’s “right” to an abortion. -
Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England
This court case involved the challenging of the New Hampshire Parental Notification Prior to Abortion Act, "an act requiring parental notification before abortions may be performed on unemancipated minors." The Supreme Court issues that the government cannot restrict abortions when one is required during a medical emergency. -
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Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayotte_v._Planned_Parenthood_of_Northern_New_England
https://legaldictionary.net/planned-parenthood-southeastern-pennsylvania-v-casey/
https://www.nrlc.org/abortion/history/
https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/410/179
https://www.britannica.com/event/Roe-v-Wade
https://lawaspect.com/case-united-states-v-vuitch/
https://msu.edu/user/schwenkl/abtrbng/mpca.htm
http://www.forerunner.com/forerunner/X0414_AMA_against_abortion.html