"The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization sparked a media and social media firestorm. We saw a need to provide health and historical context in an accessible, shareable way. Because reproductive rights is an important public health issue, and because we have expertise on the topic at our school and university, we decided to tell this story in the magazine’s special section on justice.
“A Brief History of Abortion in the U.S.” is a fast-paced overview of how the abortion—once an uncontroversial fact of life—transformed into a combustible moral, political, and legal issue. Historical events that set the pendulum swinging from abortion rights to restrictions include the founding of the American Medical Association, the Depression, the end of World War II, a rubella outbreak, and Supreme Court decisions, including Roe v. Wade most famously. The article shows the Dobbs decision as a moment in history—and that it will not be the last word on abortion rights.
As soon as it was published, the article started circulating online. In the month following its publication on Oct. 26, 2022, it was the most-viewed article on the magazine website, a position it still holds today."
From the Judges
This was a staff-produced piece with no costs, with the exception of a $110 license fee. The writer tackled the highly charged topic of abortion and managed to present a fact-based history that serves as a foundation for all discussions. Always nice to read something and learn something new, especially on a topic written about so much.
