abortion law

Definition

Any law regulating the practice of abortion. Abortion has been legalized in Europe and Japan since the 1970s. In the United States, legalization of abortions during the first six months of pregnancy dates back to the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision of Roe vs. Wade. Several state legislatures passed restrictive abortion laws in the hope that the more conservative Rehnquist Court would overturn Roe vs. Wade, but in 1992 the Court reaffirmed the basic principles of the 1973 decision, although it permitted restrictions that do not pose an undue burden on women seeking abortions.