Abortion Law Overview
Landmark Rulings and Partial-Birth Abortion Bans
Rather than settling the issue of a woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy, the U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings in 1973 kindled heated debate and precipitated a variety of governmental actions at the national, State, and local levels designed to either nullify the rulings or limit their effect. These regulations, in turn, have spawned further litigation in which resulting judicial refinements in the law have been no more successful in dampening the controversy. The following explores the Court’s landmark rulings in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, and subsequent actions addressing so-called "partial-birth abortions."Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton…
