Abortion is a practice that has been around for thousands of years--and it had been legal in the US when the settlers first came and when the constitution was written. But it wasn't until the 19th century that this country started passing laws to make it illegal. It takes over one hundred years (from the early 1800s to 1967) for one single state to pass more liberal laws regarding abortion. Around the same time, laws are being passed both for and against contraception and contraception education--even some that prohibited married people from receiving education about contraceptives. During this century and a half of illegal abortion, dangerous "backalley" abortion procedures were being performed, which were very dangerous to the women seeking them, to their reproductive health, and could often result in death. 1973 is the year of the Roe v. Wade decision, which took the struggle from the state to the federal level.
A more comprehensive history (which is where I got my information), courtesy of NAF can be found at this link.
A handy timeline of important dates in abortion rights history can be found at this link.
-Alexandra
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