Fifty Years since Roe v. Wade: Forum

Abstract:January 22, 2023 will mark the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court case that legalized abortion across the United States. This forum considers the case's legacy in light of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the case on June 24, 2022, which almost immediately caused half of American states to outlaw or curtail access to abortion. With contributions from Karen Weingarten, Johanna Schoen, Belinda Waller-Peterson, Heather Latimer, Melissa Huerta, and Leslie Reagan, this forum reflects on how Roe shaped—and sometimes limited—abortion access in the United States and the stories we tell about that access. Each of the contributors also considers Roe's legacy and its racial, economic, and gendered repercussions for bodily autonomy and reproductive health in today's political and cultural landscape. As several contributors note, the elimination of a national right to abortion will not impact all people equally, just as Roe's passage did not ensure equal access to abortion in 1973. This forum offers an elegy for Roe while also acknowledging its limitations as a means for securing the right to abortion.