A History of Abortion in the West

Induced abortion has been documented throughout human history, starting as early as 1550 BCE. Early physicians in Ancient Rome and Greece wrote extensively on herbal medications to cause abortion; these texts were duplicated and refined throughout the subsequent centuries. Ancient cultures did not consider life to begin until after birth, and thus there were few laws regulating the practice. As Christianity became the predominant religion in Europe, abortion became increasingly frowned upon, although not explicitly illegal. Midwives and folk healers were the keepers of most knowledge surrounding abortion and contraception, ultimately leading them to be targeted in witch hunts. As European settlers expanded into the Americas, they took their attitudes surrounding abortion with them. However, the first laws in the United States to regulate abortion did not occur until the 1820s and most did not pass until the 1860s, when the American Medical Association began to condemn the practice. Abortions continued to take place, albeit in secret and illegally. Several states legalized abortion in the early 1970s, and the landmark case Roe v. Wade eventually legalized abortion nationwide. Although there were restrictions on abortion in many states, abortion remained legal throughout the country until 2022, when Roe was overturned in Dobbs v. Jackson. Abortion bans have not stopped people from obtaining abortions, however, and those in states where it is illegal have resorted to either inducing abortions themselves or traveling out of state. Abortions continue to be part of human history and likely always will.