Abortion was a sore spot for many Americans during the 1970s. With the women’s right movement making a more prominent appearance in the 70s, general topics that involved women’s rights started to become topics of discussion. Among these were workplace discrimination, women’s sports programs in school, and abortion. Many argued that abortion was not morally right, but the women of the rights movement argued that the woman should have control over her own body. The debates over abortion contributed a great deal to the women’s rights movement in order for the movement to be recognized and gain some much needed attention. Even before the final decision was made for the Roe v. Wade case was made, the debate over abortion made its way into many state capitals. Ken Myers, shown above, debates the abortion bill that made its way to Tallahassee in 1972. During the Spring of 1972, Florida passed a permissive abortion law.Even before Roe v. Wade, it was evident that abortion was going to be a major controversial topic throughout the 70s. Rollins College held a discussion in 1970 over the topic and, while not many people attended the discussion, it proved that abortion, while talked about, was a taboo topic of discussion.
After the Roe v. Wade case was decided, the protests and debates didn’t stop there. In fact, there are still debates going on over the topic even today. Roe v. Wade was the driving force that pushed abortion into the spotlight. The wave that followed the case even caused an episode of Maude to incorporate the main character to get an abortion, which led to a wave of controversy.Protests continued to occur throughout the 70s. This almost became a common occurrence during the 1970s and beyond. These women in Seattle are not only fighting for their right for an abortion, but arguing that an abortion is their right as women.While this anti-abortion campaign advertisement is advocating against any method of killing a child, this was one way for the anti-abortion movement to fight back against those that were for abortions. Cartoons and advertisements such as the one about appeared in many newspapers in order to gain supporters through a person’s ethos. While much of the abortion movement began in the 1970s, there were controversies over the practice even in the 1960s. This article from 1969 proves that abortion did not come out of the shadows during the 1970s, but came on gradually through time as abortions became more noticed. While women’s health centers such as the one above attempt to prevent unwanted pregnancies through birth control pills and various other contraceptives, there are some incidences where something does happen, leading to an unwanted pregnancy.Even today, protests are still held over the controversy that is abortion. The taboo over the topic may eventually fade away, but at this point abortion is still ever present in the back of people’s minds. Even when the 1970s came to a close, the debates and protests over abortion did not stop. Women in the 1980s continued the campaign, like the women above. Women continue to advocate for their right to a legal, safe abortion even to this day.Even women today advocate pro-choice or pro-life. Until the issues over abortion are taken care of, the debate over abortions will never end. Even after a final decision is made over the legality of abortions, people will continue to argue over the morals that revolve around abortion.
While the fight over abortion continues to work its way through the country, this does not mean that the women’s rights movement made no ground in the 1970s. Women’s rights progressed much more than previous movements and contribute to the freedom that women in the United States have today. Because of the attention that the movement gained because of the debates over abortion, the women’s rights movement managed to gain more recognition that it had previous to these arguments.
1. Image: Google
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