30 years after Roe v. Wade, doctors reflect on its impact

The landmark decision legalizing abortion has been considered by some as an important advance for medicine and society and as an unmitigated disaster by others.

By Victoria Stagg Elliott, AMNews staff. Jan. 27, 2003.

In 1967, Maureen Paul, MD, MPH, was a scared 18-year-old who desperately wanted to end her pregnancy. First, she tried to get an illegal abortion. She was supposed to meet up with a man at midnight and give him several hundred dollars. In return, he promised to take her to an illegal abortion clinic. But she couldn't raise the money.

Ultimately, her parents stepped in and took her to a local hospital that provided "therapeutic abortions" for women whose lives were endangered by pregnancy. She spent a day being poked and prodded, but in the end was told "no." She carried the baby to term, against her will, and gave it up for adoption.

"I cried for joy when Roe v. Wade happened because no other woman would have to go through that," Dr. Paul said.

Her story is just one example of the passions and strong opinions some physicians associate with the landmark decision.

For every perspective like Dr. Paul's, of course, there is another one that offers a different view on the impact legalized abortion has had on women's health. It's always been a dicey subject. But what is clear now is that even the passage of time -- the 30th anniversary of this ruling is being observed this month -- has not altered the polarized circumstances in which physicians deal with the question of abortion.

Dr. Paul, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood Golden Gate in San Francisco, says hers is exactly the kind of situation the legalization of abortion eliminated. In her opinion, it saved women from the emotional trauma of unwanted pregnancy and the physical dangers associated with illegal abortion. Many doctors agree, sometimes characterizing the decision as one of the most positive steps of the 20th century in terms of improving women's health.