Roe V Wade

Annotated Bibliography: Roe v Wade

Farrion McCollough

[Institutional Affiliation(s)]

Author Note

Annotated Bibliography: Roe V Wade

The Supreme Court of the United States in January 1973 made a historic decision in which it held abortion to be legal throughout the states and overturned a prior interpretation of laws restricting abortion. The case was Roe V Wade which became a turning point for women’s rights, which created a range of social and economic benefits for them. In the paper, some recent and earlier literature would be reviewed to illustrate how this decision was a significant turning point in U.S. history.

Garrow, D. J. (1999). Abortion Before and After Roe V Wade: A Historical Perspective. Albany Law Review, 62, 833-852.

In the article, the author discusses how prior to the Roe V. Wade decision, women were still receiving abortions, but only those with the financial capacity and the right contacts within the healthcare industry could do so. Roe V. Wade was a significant new step towards establishing the women's right to abortion through her right to privacy and made abortion accessible thereby.

The article suggests the importance of the decision, as to how, abortions were still being made but by illegal and questionable means, and illustrates how the decision served as a driver to lead towards gradual acceptance of abortion in most states.

Ziegler, M. (2009). The Framing of a Right to Choose: Roe v. Wade and the Changing Debate on Abortion Law. Law and History Review, 27(2), 281-330.

In the article, the authors discuss how Roe V. Wade fundamentally changed women’s rights activism and advocacy for abortion by providing them with a set of rights-based, choice-based and privacy based arguments. Before the decision, some questionable arguments such as population control were used to argue for abortion that were easier to dismiss.

The article can be used to show how Roe V Wade did not just become a turning point in terms of the legality of abortion, but how it enhanced arguments positively contributing to the debate on women's rights.

Linton, P. B. (2007). The Legal Status of Abortion in the States if Roe v. Wade is Overruled. Issues in law & medicine, 23(1), 3-43.

In the article, it is argued that the social and legislative changes which came as a result of the Roe V. Wade cannot be easily reversed even if it is overruled today, as a majority of states overwhelmingly conform to the decision in legislation.

The article can be used to demonstrate that the effects of the decision were so strong and long-lasting that even if the decision is overruled, it would still be legal in a majority of the states to have an abortion.

Filipovic, J. (2018, June 28). America Will Lose More Than Abortion Rights If Roe v. Wade Is Overturned. Retrieved February 23, 2019, from Time: http://time.com/5324828/kennedy-retirement-roe-wade-abortion-rights/

The author argues in her article that if a conservative Judge is appointed and he overrules Roe V Wade, some red-states in the middle and south of the U.S. may have abortion rights restricted as a result of new legislation making abortion expensive, hard and dangerous to get. It also discusses the economic and social benefits achieved by women after the decision.

The article is useful to demonstrate the significance of the social changes achieved as a result of the decision that made women’s lives easier in America today in contrast with pre-Roe times.

Joyce, T. (2013). How Important Was The Pill To Women's Economic Well-Being? If "Roe V. Wade" Were Overturned, How Might Society Change? Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 32(4), 879-887.

In the article, it is argued that there is little evidence to suggest that legalizing the pill to induce abortion led to economic benefits, however, it points that the changes from the decision were so significant that even if the decision is overruled, the impact would be highly diminished, as a social and intellectual change has occurred.

The article is useful to reinforce the view that Roe V Wade decision was one that permanently changed America in a significant way, at a very deep level regardless of whether any tangible benefit was achieved or not.

Fried, M. G. (2013). Reproductive Rights Activism in the Post-Roe Era. American journal of public health, 103(1), 10-14.

The article suggests that Roe V Wade was instrumental in the growth of advocacy coalitions and organizations to fight for reproductive rights thereby creating a social change necessary to protect the legislation and creating an acknowledgment that the conservative agenda of restricting abortion contradicts their rights.

It can be used to the political impact of the decision in overturning social views on abortion, and how it breathed life into a movement for reproductive rights at the national scale, eventually making it the dominant framework despite opposition.

Northup, N. (2018, July 8). Roe isn’t just about women’s rights. It’s about everyone’s personal liberty. Retrieved February 23, 2019, from Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/roe-isnt-just-about-womens-rights-its-about-everyones-personal-liberty/2018/07/08/527d8548-8160-11e8-b658-4f4d2a1aeef1_story.html?utm_term=.e002b99eb55c

The article demonstrates how Roe V. Wade was not only significant for women's abortion rights but also very important in paving the way for other landmark decisions in subsequent cases that provided greater liberties and rights to individuals such as the legalization of same-sex relationships.

The article is significant as it shows how the legal precedent set by Roe V Wade led to some major changes in U.S. legislation such as recognition of rights of sexual minorities, and thus without Roe, that framework would have fallen.

Higgins, M., & Dellapenna, J. W. (2013). Roe v. Wade: abortion and a woman's right to privacy. Minneapolis, MN: ABDO Publications.

In the book, the author traces the history of abortion rights in light of Roe V. Wade, in terms of the political and social climate that led to the decision, while discussing the different effects the decision had on American society, and the way it contributed to the Pro-life and pro-choice debate today

The book provides an important account of what transpired at that time to allow us to see how the ruling changed the course of American history and helped significantly shape the country that Americans live in today.

Willard Cates, J., Grimes, D. A., & Schulz, K. F. (2003). The Public Health Impact of Legal Abortion: 30 Years Later. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 35(1), 25-28.

In the article, the impact of Roe V. Wade is evaluated from the medical and health point of view, in terms of how it paved the way for abortions to take place in safe medical conditions as opposed to pre-Roe times when women often terminated their unplanned pregnancies in unsafe ways.

The article provides an insight into the larger and long-term health effects that were achieved by legalizing abortion through the decision, which could not have been so without the decision. It also shows how health-data helped guide legislative actions and rulings to sustain abortion rights in states.

Shehan, C. (2018, July 9). How Roe v Wade changed the lives of American women. Retrieved February 23, 2019, from University of Florida News: http://news.ufl.edu/articles/2018/07/how-roe-v-wade-changed-the-lives-of-american-women.php

In the article, the sociological effects of the Roe V Wade ruling are discussed in terms of how it positively affected the occupational and educational opportunities for women in the post-Roe period. It suggests that with the safer abortion and contraception technologies available today, it is unlikely that repealing the decision would lead to pre-Roe conditions.

The article is useful to argue that if the court had made a different decision in 1973, the lives of American women would have unfolded very differently compared to how it is today. Therefore, the American public should remember the vital role Roe V. Wade played by serving as a turning point for advancing the rights of American women that they enjoy today.