The History of Abortion

Paper Summary:

This paper follows the history of abortion through the ages. It begins with a definition of abortion and then begins tracing the story of abortion from colonial times in the United States until modern day. The paper covers many aspects of the controversial abortion debate, including the impact of the medical community on popular opinion, the famous 1973 Roe vs. Wade case, and subsequent cases. The paper examines the views of anti-abortion and pro-abortion lobbies in the United States and how this conflict has come to symbolize a lack of common social values ground in American society.

From the Paper:

"Abortion policy in the United States dates back to colonial America, where society was relatively absent of scorn and legal condemnation towards women seeking abortions. Midwives routinely provided women with the medical means to induce abortions, or assisted them with the procedure. The colonists based their legal discretion on English common law. Although abortion did not receive widespread moral acceptance in the colonies, it was not considered criminal if performed prior to the "quickening" of the fetus. Quickening was said to occur with the first detectable movements of the fetus, around the fifth month of pregnancy. Colonial courts upheld this view, with few exceptions, throughout the first half of the 19th century: "Almost all . . . mid-century courts that considered the question also understood the common law to tolerate pre-quickening abortions" (Judges, p.98)"

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