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How Long Has Abortion Been Around?
from:The answer to the question, “How long has abortion been around” is surprising. Contrary to popular belief, abortion was not invented with the Roe vs. Wade court decision. In fact, since the ancient Greek and Roman times, abortion has been a common procedure and, until the late 18th and early 19th centuries, abortion was actually legal in most parts of the world. The Greek and Roman philosophers wrote extensively about abortion, and many agreed with its practice. Some even wrote treatises on abortion, its benefits, and even discussed what abortifacient (or abortion causing) herbs to use and how to use them. Abortions in this time were not very different from ones that happen today, only now abortion is legalized and regulated by the government and medical community, making it a much safer practice. This is only the beginning of the answer to how long has abortion been around.
In Southeast Asia, massage abortion has been practiced for centuries. This is when pressure is used on the belly to cause abortion. The earliest representation of this is from 1150 AD in a carving in Cambodia. Records of abortions in the 12th century exist in Japan. English women used many different practices in the middle ages. Most common were exercise and using a girdle, which was tightened to place pressure on the abdomen.
It is important when answering the question how long has abortion been around to discuss the start of the abortion bans. In the 19th century, the advent of anesthetic, surgical knowledge and sanitary medical practices made abortion a safer option for a woman, but this coincided with the beginning of bans on abortion. Abortions were even advertised in newspapers. These advertisements were rather vague, offering things like abrotifacient herb pills as a lady’s “remedy”.
The question of how long has abortion been around lead us to Victorian Era United States, where a woman named Ann Lohman, commonly known as Madame Restell, was a famous abortionist. During a time when abortions were illegal, she was a primary target for law enforcement. She had clinics in both Boston and Philadelphia, and she advertised her services. Her discreet ads stated that she sold pills to help regulate a woman’s menstrual cycle. She also addressed married women, asking if the expansion of a family was worth the problems it can cause, both financially and emotionally. Madame Restell was arrested and scheduled to be tried in 1878, but she committed suicide on the day of her trial.
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State Abortion Law Specific links
State Abortion Law News
Rally fights for abortion law change
Liberal MP Peter Abetz has spoken out against WA's abortion laws, warning "the womb is most dangerous place for children to be in this State" at a rally last night attended by hundreds of right-to-life campaigners.
Read more...Bubba Carpenter, Mississippi GOP Lawmaker, Lauds Potential Return Of 'Coat Hanger' Abortions
Republican Mississippi state Rep. Bubba Carpenter recently gave a callous assessment of a state anti-abortion law that critics have cautioned could close down the state's only abortion clinic.
Read more...Abortion law overturned
KEN MILLER Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY— An Oklahoma law restricting the use of certain abortion-inducing drugs has been ruled unconstitutional by a district court judge, who said it violat...
Read more...ACLJ & Nearly 40,000 Americans Urge Appeals Court To Permit Texas To Halt Abortion Funding
WASHINGTON, May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), focusing on constitutional law, has filed an amicus brief with a federal appeals court backing a decision by the state of Texas to stop providing state funds that end up subsidizing Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider.
Read more...Judge overturns Oklahoma abortion drug law
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An Oklahoma law restricting the use of certain abortion-inducing drugs has been ruled unconstitutional by a district court judge, who said it violates “the fundamental rights of women to privacy and bodily integrity.” The law passed last year required doctors to follow strict guidelines authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and prohibited off-label uses of the ...
Read more...Edmond lawmaker defends abortion law
A day after an Oklahoma judge struck down a law related to abortion-inducing drugs the Edmond lawmaker who authored it defended it during a press conference.
Read more...Arizona bans funding to Planned Parenthood in abortion fight
PHOENIX (Reuters) - Arizona Governor Jan Brewer on Friday signed into law a bill banning abortion providers like Planned Parenthood from receiving money through the state, her office said in a statement. The Republican-backed Whole Woman's Health Funding Priority Act cuts off funding for family planning and health services delivered by Planned Parenthood clinics and other organizations offering ...
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