One of the most controversial issues in modern history is the legalization of
abortion. Even today, 27 years after the legalization, clashes between the
"pro-choice" and "pro-life" groups make headlines everyday. The debate over
this serious issue has left the nation as well as its political leaders
deeply divided. The decision was founded on the right to privacy, stemming
from the Ninth Amendment, which guarantees certain fundamental rights not
specifically named in the Constitution. The issue of abortion reaches back
into the times of the ancient Romans, who allowed abortion. Even in times
and places where abortion was not allowed, many times illegal abortions were
performed.

Some permitted the act only if it was necessary to save the life of the
mother, in cases of rape and/or incest, or if the fetus was deformed. Many
interest groups, like the National Abortion Rights Action League, worked for
the right to have an abortion. By 1970, New York became the 16th state to
legalize an Abortion on Demand law, which allowed for an abortion up until
the 24th week.

the Supreme Court allows states to regulate abortions in the following ways:
banning elective abortions after viability; requiring parental consent,
usually with a judicial bypass available; requiring waiting periods for
abortions to be performed; requiring informed consent or counseling to be
obtained before the abortion is performed; requiring some sort of record
keeping. Abortion today is still as big of an issue as it was many years
ago. To some, the legalization of abortion is viewed as a "public health
triumph", a step towards equality for men and woman, and a basic fundamental
right. Others view abortion as a moral and ethical disaster in which women
and doctors are playing God. Many questions are still pending on abortion;
it has not and may never be an issue that the American people will agree on.