empowerment of the states to limit Roe v. Wade has been like fuel to the fire of the abortion issue. Right to Life groups campaign tirelessly with legions of supporters to challenge the sweeping intent of Roe v. Wade, while groups such as the National Organization for Women (NOW) attempt to hold their ground in an increasingly conservative political environment.
In short, the Supreme Court decisions of the 1970s and 1980s (Roe v. Wade, 1973, Webster v. Reproductive Services, 1989), added to Congressional barriers such as the Hyde amendment in 1976, have been the most influential institutions with regard to abortion and politics. Again, the sweeping protections granted by the Court's 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade have been eroded by a trend toward more and more state control of a woman's body. It is easy to envision a time in the 1990s, if Conservatism continues to hold sway, when women could become abortion nomads, seeking out safe shelter in some states, while literally being hounded out of others. The violently threatening tactics used by the Right-to-Lifers will certainly threaten the lives of "the born," while protecting the rights of the unborn. The fallacy of using death and violence to essentially preserve a point of view appears to be lost on the Right-to-Lifers.
The Supreme Court decisions have had the most profound impact on public policy, in general. In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court declared most restrictive abortion laws unconstitutional because they violate a woman's right to privacy, as has been said. It left the decision to have a first trimester abortion to the woman and her physician. Since the landmark decision of 1973, Republican state politicians have attempted to usurp the privacy intent of the ruling. For example, States passed regulations to ensure the safety of second trimester abortions, and they could prohibit third-trimester abortions altogether.
Craig and O'Brien spend a good deal of time ...