[DSRP Evidence](https://dsrpevidence.org/)

# Choosing a Side: Examining the Abortion Debate

## Details

**Authors** Reeves K

**Year** 2017

**Publisher** Cornell Policy Review

**Kind of work** article

**Discipline** Public Policy

**Kind of engagement** applications

[Read it](https://www.cornellpolicyreview.com/choosing-side-examining-abortion-debate/)

## In authors' words

### Abstract

In the United States, the issue of abortion remains contentious today, despite the Supreme Court decision that legalized the procedure more than forty years ago. Since that 1973 decision, abortion has become a largely political topic; individual states have enacted laws that restrict women's ability to obtain an abortion by varying degrees, and abortion has been a prominent topic during political elections. In the 2016 election cycle, the topic of abortion surfaced in the Presidential and the Vice Presidential debates, as well as many congressional and gubernatorial races. Candidates label themselves based on their abortion stance, and many voters may choose a candidate explicitly because of that stance. Until 1973, laws regulating abortions were left up to the states, and many chose to enact regulations that banned the practice. The majority of these laws targeted those performing the abortions, rather than the women themselves. Prior to 1973, the resultant fear of losing their medical licenses and facing criminal charges meant that few doctors were willing to perform abortions. By the late 1960s, social pressures and the feminist movement pushed states to begin to relax these laws; by 1970, 16 states had created new regulations that allowed women access to legal abortions. In early 1973, the United States Supreme Court heard two cases: Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton; on January 22, 1973, the Court ruled that the 14th amendment protected a woman's right to have an abortion under the Due Process Clause and its interpreted right to privacy. This case forms the basis for all abortion regulations in the United States today.

### What they set out to do (purpose)

A Cornell Policy Review examination of the abortion debate in the United States, from pre-1973 state regulation through Roe v. Wade to the politics of the 2016 election cycle.

### What they found (results)

Since 1973 abortion has become a largely political topic — states restrict access to varying degrees, candidates label themselves by stance, and voters choose accordingly — with Roe forming the basis of all regulation at the time of writing.

## Commentary

### In short

A student application of DSRP, from the Cornell Policy Review systems thinking special issues.

**Patterns it shows** D, S, R, P

**How to cite this** Reeves K (2017). Choosing a Side: Examining the Abortion Debate. Cornell Policy Review.