Abortion and Sterilization: Medical and Social Aspects investigates the medical and social aspects of abortion and sterilization. Its aim is to legitimate abortion and sterilization for the sake of those who need and seek the service. The best techniques are presented in the proper medical perspective. The social and political history, epidemiology, and public health aspects of abortion and sterilization are also discussed. Comprised of 23 chapters, this book begins with a review of abortion legislation and practices in historical perspective amidst changing sociocultural contexts in diverse geographic areas. Liberalization trends are surveyed chronologically in terms of selected highlights demonstrating legislative progress and frustrations along with advances in abortion technology. A classified listing of abortion statutes and/or court decisions in 140 countries is given. Subsequent chapters deal with the epidemiology of induced abortion; abortions for teenagers; the link between abortion and mental health; and hysterotomy and hysterectomy as abortion techniques. Vasectomy as a family planning option is also examined. This monograph is intended for students, teachers, clinicians, research workers, administrative and nursing personnel, and those with interest in reproductive control.

Roe v. Wade (1973) is probably the most important Supreme Court case in the last fifty years. It has affected how the Constitution is interpreted, driven changes in laws, and continues to be a lightning rod in political debate. Roe v. Wade is a complex case that established a woman’s right to privacy and a right to control her own body, which was good. But the Supreme Court also held that a fetus has no right to life and is not a “person” under the Constitution. That latter finding was a colossal error, an abuse of power, and an act of social activism. The egregious flaws in Roe can be corrected with a fetal right to life amendment to the Constitution. Although Congress has not seriously entertained this in forty years, it would still be the right thing to do. Restoring the fetal right to life would require weighing the right to an abortion against the fetal right to life. We should never forget that Roe was a moral travesty that established a reprehensible and barbaric practice of killing defenseless human beings. We should acknowledge the flawed legal rationale used by the Court, and correct the problem. The good parts of Roe do not have to come at the expense of the fetal right to life.