Opinion Piece Reflects on 40th Anniversary of Roe Decision

January 23, 2013 —  "Over the past 40 years, state legislatures across the country have managed to place a slew of impediments, inconveniences and indignities between women and their right to choose," Washington Post columnist Katrina vanden Heuvel writes, marking this week's anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision. Although the court has said states can impose these restrictions as long as they "do not constitute an 'undue burden' on woman seeking abortion services, ... the interpretation of 'undue burden' has turned out to be pretty narrow," she adds.

Nonetheless, it is "worth celebrating" the fact that the restrictions have brought "women's reproductive rights ... back in the conversation," according to vanden Heuvel. It also is important to commend state-level leaders and women's advocacy groups that are advancing legislation to support women, as well as President Obama for acting on women's issues during his first term, she adds (vanden Heuvel, Washington Post, 1/22).