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Four states (Alaska, Hawaii, New York, and Washington) legalized abortion before any federal law required it. New York became the abortion destination—over 400,000 abortions in two years, mostly for out-of-state patients. President Richard Nixon created Title X, the first federal program providing birth control and health services to low-income people. The Supreme Court heard its first abortion case, United States v. Vuitch, and ruled that "health" includes mental health, not just physical health, and that prosecutors—not doctors—must prove an abortion was illegal.

The Boston Women's Health Book Collective, frustrated by doctors who dismissed their concerns, published the first comprehensive women's health guide written by women for women. Congress passed the Comprehensive Child Development Bill, which would have created a national childcare system to help single parents work, but Nixon would veto it in 1972.

The Supreme Court ruled in Eisenstadt v. Baird (6-1) that unmarried people have the right to access birth control, not just married couples. Justice Brennan wrote that the government cannot intrude into "matters so fundamentally affecting a person as the decision whether to bear or beget a child." President Nixon vetoed the childcare bill Congress had passed in 1971.

Roe v. Wade—the landmark decision. The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 on January 22 that the Constitution protects a woman's right to abortion. Women could get abortions in the first trimester without restrictions. States could regulate (but not ban) abortion in the second trimester. States could ban abortion after fetal viability, but even then women must have access if their life or health is at risk. The companion case Doe v. Bolton struck down Georgia's requirements for hospital committee approvals and multiple doctor sign-offs, ensuring bureaucracy couldn't block access. Norma Jean Serena, a Native woman, brought the first legal challenge against forced sterilization.

Women of color organized the Committee to End Sterilization Abuse to fight racist government policies that forced sterilization on Black, Latina, Native, and poor women—showing that while white women gained abortion rights, women of color faced the opposite: being prevented from having children.

The Supreme Court ruled in Bigelow v. Virginia that abortion clinics can advertise their services. The Court recognized that having rights doesn't mean much if you can't find out how to use them.

The most important year—both good and bad. In July, Planned Parenthood v. Danforth (6-3) ruled that husbands cannot veto their wives' abortion decisions and parents cannot have absolute veto power over minors' decisions. But in September, Congress passed the Hyde Amendment, blocking federal Medicaid funding for abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or life-threatening emergencies. Representative Henry Hyde admitted he wanted to stop all abortions but could only target poor women through Medicaid. Because systemic racism means Medicaid disproportionately serves Black, Latino, and LGBTQ+ communities, Hyde deliberately created a discriminatory policy. Abortion remained legal—but only for people who could afford it.

On October 3, Rosie Jimenez—a 27-year-old mother and aspiring teacher—died from an unsafe abortion because the Hyde Amendment blocked her Medicaid coverage. She was the first documented victim of Hyde's policy. The Supreme Court made things worse in Maher v. Roe by ruling that states don't have to fund even "medically necessary" abortions. But Carey v. Population Services International recognized that minors have the right to access birth control.

Bellotti v. Baird created the "judicial bypass" system still used today. While states can require parental involvement in minors' abortion decisions, they cannot give parents absolute veto power. Minors must be able to go to court confidentially if telling their parents would be unsafe.