A wave of state abortion bans has set off speculation: What would happen if Roe v. Wade, the ruling establishing abortion rights nationwide, were overturned? In 1974, a year after Roe, there were about 899,000 abortions in the U.S., according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights. That ordeal was followed by post-abortion complications, yet Wachtel has steadfastly supported abortion rights. It’s still under study, but early results show women can manage their medical abortions safely at home. Professor Michael New, an abortion opponent who teaches social research at Catholic University of America, said the debate is far more polarized now than in 1973, with fewer Republicans favouring abortion rights and fewer Democrats opposing them.

Source: National Post May 26, 2019 15:45 UTC