Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Today is the 40th Anniversary of Roe vs. Wade

Today, on the fortieth anniversary of Roe v. Wade,  new research has revealed that over half of people under thirty have no idea what that means:
"... most people under 30 don't know that the landmark case legalized abortion in the United States. 62 percent of Americans (both men and women) knew what Roe v. Wade was all about, but only 44 percent of Americans under 30 knew the case dealt with abortion in some way or another. 41 percent thought the case was related to the death penalty, the environment or simply didn't know. I mean, it could be worse. They could have thought it was some kind of aquatic athletic dilemma, right?"
Even if they can't define it,  the majority of Americans, including most religious groups,  don't want Roe overturned. But in parts of the country where anti-choice has a stronghold, those right are in jeopardy. Mississippi's lone abortion clinic faces closure , and Texas governor, Rick Perry has asked Texas lawmakers to approve a bill that would prohibit abortion once a fetus is capable of feeling pain.
"Citing disputed research, pro-life advocates claim a fetus can feel pain after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
The fetal pain bill would run counter to Roe v. Wade, which upheld a woman’s right to have an abortion within the first 24 weeks of her pregnancy. Courts have blocked similar fetal pain laws in Georgia, Oklahoma and Arizona from taking effect."
It's sad that in a year when anti-choice legislation at the state level has tried to chip away abortion rights, that viewed with enough perceived historical distance it's easy to forget that Roe v. Wade wasn't all that long ago.

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