The continuing legal controversy over reproductive rights has embroiled the US legal system for decades. Since the US Supreme Court's landmark decision in Roe v. Wade, regulating abortion services has been a major target of legislation in Congress and in every state legislature. Despite numerous Supreme Court decisions and countless pieces of state and federal legislation, the controversy surrounding abortion and the appropriate level of constitutional protection for this reproductive service has never subsided. Since the decision in Roe, a woman's right to choose an abortion has remained among the rights protected by the US Constitution, a holding that has been affirmed numerous times by the Supreme Court. However, a wide array of regulations and restrictions intended by state and federal legislators to curtail the availability and accessibility of abortion services have been passed through the US, many of which have been upheld by the Supreme Court and federal courts of appeals. This fundamental conflict between a woman's constitutional right to choose an abortion, and the belief among some governmental officials that abortion is immoral and should not be protected by the Constitution, has persisted as one of the most intractable legal and political conflicts in modern American history.... [more]
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TIMELINE
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5/23/2013: Tenth Circuit heard Hobby Lobby appeal of health care ruling
5/21/2013: Ninth Circuit struck down Arizona 20-week abortion ban
5/17/2013: Federal judge blocked Arkansas 12-week abortion ban
5/15/2013: Federal judge allowed challenge to Arkansas abortion law to proceed
5/15/2013: North Dakota abortion law was challenged
5/10/2013: Federal judge declined to delay order on emergency contraception
5/1/2013: DOJ appealed expanded access to emergency contraceptives ...[more]
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