Abortion History
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- Category: History: American
- Date Submitted: 08/24/2011 08:34 PM
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Abortion History
Throughout history and as long as man has been civilized, abortions have been practiced and still remain to this day. However, their legal status keeps on changing and more and more exceptions are created to kill babies. During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, abortions have been tolerated and ignored. Since the 1600s, the law was that abortions could only be done if the woman had not yet experienced “quickening” or when the mother can first feel him quick. Sadly, this procedure could rarely be proven and so the law was never taken seriously. But as time passed and medical advantages rose, both legislators and physicians wanted to control medical practice and create stricter poison control laws. Between 1821-1910, abortions had become illegal throughout the United States. And the first state to prohibit abortion was Connecticut in 1821, and not long afterwards, the rest of the states passed the same law.
When abortions became illegal, confusion spread throughout the nation; because there wasn’t an actual explanation of why one by one each state outlawed abortion. As mentioned, doctors wanted to stop women from using rat poison in order to end their pregnancies. In the other hand, the Great Awakening had arisen and more Americans became religious and were aware about the fetus and meaning of life. Also, another possibility for outlawing abortion could be that doctors were more common and worried about both the mother and baby’s life. However the abortion story began, when privacy rights took a huge switch in 1961.
By 1961, thirty states did not allow contraception or birth control in their borders; even so, Connecticut made it illegal even for married couples to use it. But considering that this was a “dead law”, Esther Griswold opened a birth control clinic; but soon afterwards authorities arrested, fined and shut her clinic down. Now this act then proved that the government had control over their residents’ intimate life. But Mrs....
Throughout history and as long as man has been civilized, abortions have been practiced and still remain to this day. However, their legal status keeps on changing and more and more exceptions are created to kill babies. During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, abortions have been tolerated and ignored. Since the 1600s, the law was that abortions could only be done if the woman had not yet experienced “quickening” or when the mother can first feel him quick. Sadly, this procedure could rarely be proven and so the law was never taken seriously. But as time passed and medical advantages rose, both legislators and physicians wanted to control medical practice and create stricter poison control laws. Between 1821-1910, abortions had become illegal throughout the United States. And the first state to prohibit abortion was Connecticut in 1821, and not long afterwards, the rest of the states passed the same law.
When abortions became illegal, confusion spread throughout the nation; because there wasn’t an actual explanation of why one by one each state outlawed abortion. As mentioned, doctors wanted to stop women from using rat poison in order to end their pregnancies. In the other hand, the Great Awakening had arisen and more Americans became religious and were aware about the fetus and meaning of life. Also, another possibility for outlawing abortion could be that doctors were more common and worried about both the mother and baby’s life. However the abortion story began, when privacy rights took a huge switch in 1961.
By 1961, thirty states did not allow contraception or birth control in their borders; even so, Connecticut made it illegal even for married couples to use it. But considering that this was a “dead law”, Esther Griswold opened a birth control clinic; but soon afterwards authorities arrested, fined and shut her clinic down. Now this act then proved that the government had control over their residents’ intimate life. But Mrs....