KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Protestors on both sides of the abortion issue gathered in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, on Tuesday to mark the 40th anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that gave women the right to choose to have an abortion or not.
The Roe v. Wade decision came down on January 22, 1973 – but the controversy over the decision is burning just as fiercely today.
Anti-abortion activists say that in the 40 years since the decision, doctors have performed over 55 million abortion procedures across the nation. Many on the anti-abortion side of the debate say that the procedure should be illegal, even in cases of rape or incest.
But according to a new poll released last week by the Pew Research Center, a majority of Americans think that abortions should remain legal. The survey of 1,500 adults show that 29 percent believe that Roe v. Wade should be overturned, while 63 percent believe that the decision should stand.
The results are in line with polls taken by other groups, and many legal experts say that if the Supreme Court were to hear the case today it would still pass.