I think it would be interesting to investigate how the ideas and stigma surrounding abortion have changed between 1950 and 2023. This topic is extremely prevalent in the news because of the recent restrictions that have been placed on a woman’s right to choose.
The first turning point I would use would be the description of a woman’s role in the 1950s and the rights that belonged to her. The depiction of a traditional 1950s woman would allow my audience to compare and contrast women today with women during the 1950s. This would highlight how much our society has evolved, but how little legislation has evolved to protect the rights of women.
My next turning point would be 1973 when the Supreme Court granted women the right to choose in the monumental Roe v. Wade case. This is a very important time in history because legislation was developed to protect women’s rights.
The third turning point would be 2022 when Roe v. Wade was overturned. This highlights how the fight for gender equality rages on. It also demonstrates how prevalent the fight for equality is, even in a society where women are running for president, managing companies, and designing groundbreaking technology. This also highlights the regression of the women’s movement and the impact it has on each and every female.
The artifacts I would include would be posters from various marches, speeches from the Roe v. Wade case, and movements that have commenced after the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
This is such an interesting topic. I just came across a black and white picture of a woman from the 60s maybe, holding a sign that said “my body, my choice” which is crazy to me. There are so many different things to analyze, like even how after Roe v. Wade, the woman involved in the case moved on to become an avid anti-abortionist.
I’m so glad that you are covering this topic, for it is extremely important and prevalent in current news, as you said. Despite women’s roles having evolved greatly from the 1950s to 2023, it is saddening to see how behind the times we are in legislative acts for women, even less so now that Roe v. Wade was overturned. No matter how you may view the topic of abortion, one cannot ignore the fact that women do not have a say in their individual right to choose.