Who May Not Have an Abortion?

This issue (p 229) contains a straightforward account of one year's experience with the liberalized abortion law in California. Until recently, every state has had highly prohibitive abortion laws. With some minor exceptions, the only legal ground for abortion has been a judgment that continuation of the pregnancy is a threat to the life of the mother. During the past decade, interpretation of such laws in actual practice has varied considerably in different localities. There is reason to believe that the stated criterion of "a threat to the life of the mother" has at times been very broadly interpreted. For example, it may be argued that any serious deviation from mental or physical health is lifethreatening, particularly when it is difficult to predict the outcome.

Since 1967, new abortion laws have been enacted in California, North Carolina, Colorado, and Maryland. There are reports of similar legislative proposals in many other