Physicians, not individual women, held the right to determine if an abortion was appropriate or not. Many physicians came out strongly against abortion as a means of differentiating themselves from the field of doctors. No laws specified how physicians determined if it was medically necessary. The fact that doctors exclusively determined who could and could not receive an abortion restricted women’s control of their bodies. These long-lasting policies would help shape the debate in future years.
Created by rkoshy1
on Oct 3, 2008
Last updated: 03/06/10 at 04:36 PM
Tags: Luker Kristin. Abortion and the Politics of Motherhood. Los Angeles: University of California Press 1984.
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