Abortion is a medical practice aimed at terminating a woman's pregnancy in the first 3 months. The history of abortion begins with the father before the climactic case of Roe v Wade in 1973. The Supreme Court made abortion legal and this is seen as a major turning point for American health policies for women. Before this court case to make it legal, it had been performed for thousands of years and in every known society. It was legal when colonists first arrived in the United States before the Constitution, abortion was openly advertised and performed on a regular basis. Abortion dates back to the mid-1800s, when states began making it illegal. The fear that states had in the 1800s was that the population would be dominated by the children of immigrants who had higher birth rates. In the 1800s, nearly all surgical procedures, including abortions, were considered extremely risky. Hospitals providing such services were uncommon, and all antiseptics were unknown. Most reputable doctors had little or no knowledge of this procedure. Due to the lack of technology at that time the maternal and infant mortality rate was extremely high. However, the dangers of abortion were the same as those of other legal surgeries. Scientific methods to aid this practice began to be a popular topic. Technologies were invented to prevent infections, and medical practices began to become safer. At that time, women who needed an abortion had to turn to illegal practitioners to obtain this procedure. The term used was “back alley abortion” due to the ban on abortion from 1800 to the 1973 court case. Backstreet abortions were dangerous and in most cases fatal whereas in a legal context... middle of paper... Casey in 1992 prevented and limited abortions of fetuses that can live outside the womb, known as pre-viability abortions. . It was also decided to limit the timing of abortion when a restriction may prevent abortion after the first trimester in medically unnecessary procedures. Not all women feel that abortion is the best choice, but all women can decide whether they want it or not. Abortion is a simple procedure that terminates a pregnancy. Over time all over the world this procedure has been part of our healthcare. There are options for women who do not want to get pregnant and get an unplanned pregnancy, such as adoption or child support. Statistically 43% of American women will have one or more abortions in their lifetime, which equates to approximately one million times per year, demonstrating the high demand for abortion.