Forty-four years ago with the passing of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruled a woman’s right to choose an abortion a constitutional right. That is to say, a person’s right to terminate her pregnancy in a dignified and confidential manner is protected by the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. These amendments are responsible for ensuring U.S. citizens their bodily integrity; thanks to Roe v. Wade, abortion is protected under these clauses. Roe has set the legal precedent for the past 44 years now and is still one of the most highly targeted and attacked Supreme Court decisions of all time.

While Roe v. Wade was a landmark decision that would protect the rights of millions of people seeking abortions every year, Roe was decidedly not the beginning of abortion. Let me repeat that one more time for the people in the back — Roe v. Wade was not the beginning of abortion. Prior to Roe was an era of perilous turmoil for many women, who were forced to seek out underground (or “back-alley”) abortions that often posed life-threatening risks.

When recalling their experiences with back-alley abortions in the pre-Roe era, women have recounted unsanitary and utterly dangerous conditions. The following is a recollection of a near-fatal back-alley abortion received by Polly Bergen in the 1940s, which would ultimately render her infertile and prove nearly fatal. 

“Someone gave me the phone number of a person who did abortions and I made the arrangements. I borrowed about $300 from my roommate and went alone to a dirty, run-down bungalow in a dangerous neighborhood in east Los Angeles. A greasy looking man came to the door and asked for the money as soon as I walked in.”

For many of us, even making small purchases from Craigslist is seen as “sketchy” and “scary.” Imagine, even if only for a moment, the isolation and fear Bergen must have felt as she entered this stranger’s home; trusting a man she had never met to perform a delicate medical procedure on her reproductive organs and look after her livelihood.

“He told me to take off all my clothes except my blouse; there was a towel to wrap around myself. I got up on a cold metal kitchen table. He performed a procedure, using something sharp. He didn’t give me anything for the pain — he just did it.”

If reading the previous selection did not make you wince, I encourage you to give it another read-over. There is no way to know whether the tools used by this stranger were even sterile, let alone actual medical tools. The stranger’s kitchen table may not have been cleaned in days, for all we know; and the smallest amount of bacteria can prove fatal during such a procedure. Needless to say, Bergen’s life was at risk during this underground abortion.

“He said that he had packed me with some gauze, that I should expect some cramping, and that I would be fine. I left.”

Bergen’s story is but one of many on the hazards of underground abortions. That said, women have been seeking out and performing abortions on themselves for thousands of years in every society and every culture. Clearly, women know how to make decisions concerning their reproductive and family planning choices — they have been doing it all along — it is simply a matter of whether or not we will protect and support them.

On the 44th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we are still fighting legislation that would essentially regulate legal abortion out of existence. In fact, since 1995, over 900 anti-abortion laws have been enacted on the state level. These bills are particularly heinous in that, instead of outright banning abortion, they quietly close hundreds of abortion clinics every year.

We are entering an era where localized, grassroots activism is more important than ever before. It is a given that women deserve safety, autonomy and medically accurate information — regardless of income and socioeconomic background. But these are rights that must be fought for and protected.

I implore my readers to support local organizations that fight for a woman’s right to choose safe and legal abortion; and that is just what we do at NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina. One may be interested in joining NARAL Pro-Choice NC’s Rapid Response team, which is the go-to network of activists fighting for choice in North Carolina.

There are also plenty of ways to get involved right here on NC State’s campus in the fight for reproductive justice and women’s rights in general. Students Advocating for Gender Equality (SAGE) is an intersectional feminist student organization, which aims to create an environment of equity for all peoples on NC State’s campus.

SAGE hosts meetings twice a month — the first and third Monday of every month — from 7:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. in Daniels 222. SAGE hosts many social justice-oriented events and activities throughout the semester, including documentary screenings, discussion panels, protests, tabling events and social events surrounding reproductive rights and other social justice topics.

Students may also consider getting involved with the student-led Peer Educator program at the Women’s Center. This team of trained educators is known as The Movement, and while its focus is interpersonal violence prevention, women’s rights as a whole are supported through their endeavors.

It is thanks to the activists, educators and political advocates around the state that the legacy of Roe v. Wade continues to live on. Thanks be to you, activists; and thanks be to you, Roe.