On January 22, 1973, the movement to legalize abortion achieved its greatest Wade ruling. This paper will analyze the rise and continuation ofthis movement over the course of the past forty years. Unlike other social movements, thePro-Choice movement as maintained it’s power even after apparent victory was achieved. Due to this, the abortion argument continues today and will probably continue into thiscentury and beyond.The emergence of the Pro-Choice movement did not occur via the usual socialmovement routes. Most social movements emerge from within established institutions,with support from elites, or with origins that involved professional movement organizers. The early Pro-Choice movement, however, emerged as a collection of concernedphysicians and professionals who wanted to help legalize abortion and keep it safe. In the1950s and 1960s several published articles appeared that suggested needed reforms to theabortion laws and this began public attention on this issue.Two events occurred during the 1960s that also brought media attention to thisemerging movement. The first was the highly publicized case of Sherri Finkbine, a womanwho attempted to get a legal abortion in the United States after learning that a drug shehad taken, thalidomide, could cause fetal defects. This incident caused nationwideconcern about the drug as well as sparking a nationwide debate over abortion. Thesecond event was the epidemic of rubella measles that occurred in the United States. Thisdisease can cause fetal defects when contracted by a pregnant woman. Both of theseevents gave a rise to the movement by influencing public opinion toward the reform ofabortion law. These events forced doctors to confront the differences within theirprofession over abortion. This caused some liberal doctors to support the reform of theabortion laws.The Association for the Study of Abortion (ASA) was formed as a result of theprofessional interest in this is...
