ABORTION IN AMERICA: THE WAR ON WOMEN’S BODIES

Abstract

This thesis examines abortion law in the United States from the late eighteenth century up to present day. Beyond merely looking at the legal aspects of restricting abortion, it explores the sentiments behind the anti-abortion campaign that took hold in the late nineteenth century as states around the country criminalized the practice. The initial movement focused on women and the idea that they were not capable of making such decisions on their own. As the anti-abortion movement changed throughout the years, it’s messaging transformed to fit the political landscape, but the underlying tone set in the early years never wavered. It’s still seen in today’s laws that work to limit and restrict a woman’s ability to control her own reproductive health. Though arguably the anti-abortion movement’s newest interest in ‘trigger laws,’ laws meant to take effect and fully criminalize abortion if Roe v. Wade was ever overturned, is the most telling of where the movement sees America heading. And without a true understanding of history and the experiences women faced during the period of criminalization, such laws only show the true oblivion of those peddling them. It’s a war for control, and if the wrong side wins, we unfortunately know exactly what were in for.