“The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America” at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library’s Poorvu Gallery in Cambridge from Oct. 24, 2022, to March 4, 2023, delves into the history of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion and the court’s overturning of that decision in 2022.

Curated by Mary Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California, Davis School of Law, “It tells the story of abortion in the United States, from criminalization to constitutionalization and back again, through the eyes of those who created and defended Roe and those who mourned and unmade it, those at the center of politics and those at the margins. Battles over Roe upended party politics, changed medical practice, and divided faith communities. Roe offered lessons about what it meant to treat abortion as a right or to rely on the courts to achieve change,” according to an exhibition sign.

“The Age of Roe reevaluates the decision’s legacy through the work of those who defined the past five decades of debate about reproduction. Their stories suggest that even after the reversal of the 1973 decision, the age of Roe will continue to cast a long shadow over our ideas of reproduction and justice. By listening to those who experienced the age of Roe, we can see how the past shaped our present moment and begin to find a way beyond it.”


If this is the kind of coverage of arts, cultures and activisms you appreciate, please support Wonderland by contributing to Wonderland on Patreon. And sign up for our free, occasional newsletter so that you don’t miss any of our reporting. (All content ©Greg Cook 2023 or the respective creators.)


"The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America" at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library's Poorvu Gallery.
“The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America” at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library’s Poorvu Gallery.

 

"The People v. Ann Lohman," court document, Feb. 14, 1878. In "The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America" at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library's Poorvu Gallery.
“The People v. Ann Lohman,” court document, Feb. 14, 1878. In “The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America” at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library’s Poorvu Gallery.
Dialators, probes, specula and other tools used in abortions. In "The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America" at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library's Poorvu Gallery.
Dialators, probes, specula and other tools used in abortions. In “The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America” at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library’s Poorvu Gallery.
Women's rights demonstration, abortion, photo by Freda Leinwand, May 1989, reproduction from slide. In "The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America" at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library's Poorvu Gallery.
Women’s rights demonstration, abortion, photo by Freda Leinwand, May 1989, reproduction from slide. In “The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America” at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library’s Poorvu Gallery.
Anti-choice "Right to Life" at St. Patrick's Cathedral, photo by Bettye Lane, March 9, 1976. In "The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America" at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library's Poorvu Gallery.
Anti-choice “Right to Life” at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, photo by Bettye Lane, March 9, 1976. In “The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America” at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library’s Poorvu Gallery.
"The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America" at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library's Poorvu Gallery.
“The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America” at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library’s Poorvu Gallery.
"Cross of Oppression," 1982. In "The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America" at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library's Poorvu Gallery.
“Cross of Oppression,” 1982. In “The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America” at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library’s Poorvu Gallery.
Pro-life protesters outside a residence, massachusetts, photograph by Fred Vytal, c. 1971. In "The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America" at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library's Poorvu Gallery.
Pro-life protesters outside a residence, massachusetts, photograph by Fred Vytal, c. 1971. In “The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America” at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library’s Poorvu Gallery.
Women's National Abortion Action Coalition flier, 1972. In "The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America" at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library's Poorvu Gallery.
Women’s National Abortion Action Coalition flier, 1972. In “The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America” at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library’s Poorvu Gallery.
Ellen McCormack for President postcard 1976. In "The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America" at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library's Poorvu Gallery.
Ellen McCormack for President postcard 1976. In “The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America” at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library’s Poorvu Gallery.
"Witness for the Unborn," pro-life march, Boston, c 1975. In "The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America" at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library's Poorvu Gallery.
“Witness for the Unborn,” pro-life march, Boston, c 1975. In “The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America” at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library’s Poorvu Gallery.
Radcliffe students donstrating at Boston's Government Center for pro-choice abortion laws, reproduction of photo by Debbie Rich, 1985. "Witness for the Unborn," pro-life march, Boston, c 1975. In "The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America" at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library's Poorvu Gallery.
Radcliffe students donstrating at Boston’s Government Center for pro-choice abortion laws, reproduction of photo by Debbie Rich, 1985. “Witness for the Unborn,” pro-life march, Boston, c 1975. In “The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America” at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library’s Poorvu Gallery.
April 1992 March on Washington poster (at top) and other posters, fliers and photos dating back to the 1970s. In "The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America" at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library's Poorvu Gallery.
April 1992 March on Washington poster (at top) and other posters, fliers and photos dating back to the 1970s. In “The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America” at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library’s Poorvu Gallery.
Two women with two young children at National Organization for Women demonstration, c. 1987. In "The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America" at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library's Poorvu Gallery.
Two women with two young children at National Organization for Women demonstration, c. 1987. In “The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America” at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library’s Poorvu Gallery.
Media demonstration for pro-abortion, photo by Bettye Lane, May 10, 2917. In "The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America" at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library's Poorvu Gallery.
Media demonstration for pro-abortion, photo by Bettye Lane, May 10, 2917. In “The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America” at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library’s Poorvu Gallery.
"Inside Is A Choice Child," protester against Webster v. Reproductive Health Services decision, reproduction of photo by Mary Ann McQuillan, July 1989. In "The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America" at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library's Poorvu Gallery.
“Inside Is A Choice Child,” protester against Webster v. Reproductive Health Services decision, reproduction of photo by Mary Ann McQuillan, July 1989. In “The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America” at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library’s Poorvu Gallery.
Buttons and bumperstickers in "The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America" at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library's Poorvu Gallery.
Buttons and bumperstickers in “The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America” at Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library’s Poorvu Gallery.
Categories: Activism Art History