The end of Roe v. Wade — and what comes next - Kathryn Kolbert
425,425 Views
TED Talk
Let’s Begin…
Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision protecting people's right to have an abortion in the United States, will be overturned within a year, says reproductive rights attorney Kathryn Kolbert. In this electrifying call to action, she breaks down the systematic attack against reproductive freedom in the US and envisions what a post-Roe world could look like.
Additional Resources for you to Explore
The U.S. Supreme Court's 1992 ruling in Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey reaffirmed a woman's right to an abortion as granted in the 1973 Roe v. Wade case.
Casey was overturned in 2022, along with Roe v. Wade.
Abortion laws by state: You can read Politico’s breakdown of abortion laws here.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, African American women, Native American women, Alaska Native women are dying of pregnancy-related causes at three times the rate of white women. And most of those deaths are preventable. The relative mortality rates for Black, American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) women increase with age. For more, see here.
For more on the comparative safety of legal abortion and childbirth, see this 2012 study.
In 2017, 89% of US counties did not have a clinic facility that provided abortion care. For more information, see here.
Thirteen states across the country have signaled their readiness to ban abortion by passing so-called trigger laws, which would effectively ban abortions almost immediately after the decision from the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Texas' new law allows private citizens to sue abortion providers and anyone else who helps a woman obtain an abortion, as well as those who intended to perform abortions in violation of the act. The law awards them at least 10,000 dollars per illegal abortion if they are successful. For more, see Tex. Health & Safety Code § 171.208(a), (b)(3) (West 2021).
Casey was overturned in 2022, along with Roe v. Wade.
Abortion laws by state: You can read Politico’s breakdown of abortion laws here.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, African American women, Native American women, Alaska Native women are dying of pregnancy-related causes at three times the rate of white women. And most of those deaths are preventable. The relative mortality rates for Black, American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) women increase with age. For more, see here.
For more on the comparative safety of legal abortion and childbirth, see this 2012 study.
In 2017, 89% of US counties did not have a clinic facility that provided abortion care. For more information, see here.
Thirteen states across the country have signaled their readiness to ban abortion by passing so-called trigger laws, which would effectively ban abortions almost immediately after the decision from the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Texas' new law allows private citizens to sue abortion providers and anyone else who helps a woman obtain an abortion, as well as those who intended to perform abortions in violation of the act. The law awards them at least 10,000 dollars per illegal abortion if they are successful. For more, see Tex. Health & Safety Code § 171.208(a), (b)(3) (West 2021).
About TED Talk Lessons
TED Talk Lessons are created by TED-Ed using phenomenal TED Talks. Do you have an idea for a lesson? Create it now using any video from YouTube »
Meet The Creators
- Speaker Kathryn Kolbert
