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The history of the legality of abortion in the United States

Dr. Karissa Haugeberg, Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Tulane University
https://liberalarts.tulane.edu/departments/history/people/karissa-haugeberg
Dr. Karissa Haugeberg, Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Tulane University

This episode originally aired on Oct. 19, 2021.

As the country continues to react to the disclosure by Politico of the draft of a Supreme Court opinion that would overturn the right to abortion established in Roe v. Wade, reportedly circulated by Justice Samuel Alito, we are revisiting a conversation we had last October on the history of the legality, and criminality, of abortion in the United States going all the way back to its founding.

This conversation took place shortly after Republican state representative Webster Barnaby introduced a bill that would have banned abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is around six weeks. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a modified version of that legislation into law last month that bans most abortions after 15 weeks. It contains exceptions if the abortion is necessary to save a mother's life, to prevent serious injury to the mother, or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality.

We take a step back and learn about the history of the legality, and criminality, of abortion in the United States going all the way back to its founding. We also get a snapshot of the work being done by Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida.

GUESTS: