B10. Beyond Roe v. Wade: The Status of Abortion Rights in America

This course will examine the history of abortion in the United States; the socioeconomic, philosophical, religious, and political issues raised by abortion; the changing legal status of abortion in the United States; and the abortion rights movement in the 20th Century. The course will then examine the Supreme Court’s landmark decisions in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey; the pro-life movement; restrictions on abortions enacted by various states; and the momentous overruling of Roe v. Wade in 2022. Finally, the course will examine the state of abortion rights in a post-Roe v. Wade America in which abortion will be legal in some states but not others.

Strongly recommended but, not required: Abortion and the Law in America: Roe v. Wade to the Present by Mary Ziegler; Cambridge University Press, 2020     

John S. Ross, III (Jack) holds degrees from Yale University and the University of Virginia School of Law. He served as Adjunct Professor of Law at Washington & Lee University and has taught numerous courses in the WISE program with a focus on constitutional law and the Supreme Court. Jack also facilitates the WISE Special Interest Group focused on discussing Supreme Court case decisions.