From Back Alley to the Border: Criminal Abortion in the 20th Century U.S.

Item set

• Abortion: Sherri's Baby was Deformed (1962)
  Sherri Chessen Finkbine caused an international controversy when she wanted to end her pregnancy when she believed she was carrying a deformed baby. Sherri was known for her role on a children's TV show and already had four children at the time of her abortion controversy. She brought questions about the life and health of the mother into the forefront of abortion debates.
• Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2022)
  In the ruling it this case, the Supreme Court took away the constitutional right to abortion based on the right to privacy recognized by Roe v. Wade. This was the first time a Supreme Court decision took away a fundamental right from the people.
• Doe v. Bolton (1973)
  A Supreme Court case decided at the same time as Roe v. Wade, Doe v. Bolton ruled that a Georgia abortion law limiting access to abortions to cases of rape, fetal deformity, or extreme injury to the mother was unconstitutional.
• From Back Alley to the Border: Criminal Abortion in the 20th Century U.S.
  This teaching module looks at the history of criminal abortion in the 20th century, featuring a webinar with Alicia Gutierrez-Romine, author of the 2020 book, From Back Alley to the Border: Criminal Abortion in California, 1920-1969.
• Hyde Amendment (1976)
  The Hyde Amendment, first appearing as part of an appropriations bill for the Departments of Labor, and Health, Education, and Welfare, prevents federal funds from being spent on abortion care. Versions of the Hyde Amendment continue to be adopted by Congress each year, though exceptions have been added to allow for the termination of pregnancies that result from rape or incest or that endanger the life of the mother.
• People v. Belous (1969)
  This is a case before the California Supreme Court looking at abortion rights. It focused on a physician's ability to practice medicine unimpeded and the extent of physicians' abilities to determine when an abortion would be necessary to protect a woman's life.
• People v. Buffum (1953)
  One of California's pre-Roe v. Wade abortion cases, the decision in Buffum attempted to regulate abortion tourism to Mexico. This case determined that California could not legislate medical practices in Mexico, causing an increase in abortion clinics across the border in Tijuana.
• Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992)
  In the Supreme Court case of Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the ruling in Roe v. Wade was upheld, but changed the scrutiny standard from "strict scrutiny" to an "undue burden" standard.
• Roe v. Wade (1973)
  Roe v. Wade is the landmark Supreme Court decision that extended the right to privacy to the ability for women to obtain abortion care. The decision was overturned in the 2022 decision of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, returning legislation on abortion care to the states.
• Webinar - From Back Alley to the Border: Criminal Abortion in the 20th Century U.S. (2024)
  In this webinar, Dr. Alicia Gutierrez-Romine of California State University, San Bernardino, discusses U.S. constitutionalism and criminal abortion in the 20th century with Dr. William Thomas and his American Constitutional History class.