Roe: The History of a National Obsession

The leading U.S. expert on abortion law charts the many meanings associated with Roe v. Wade during its fifty-year history

“Ziegler sets a brisk pace but delivers substantial depth. . . . A must-read for those seeking to understand what comes next.”—Publishers Weekly

What explains the insistent pull of Roe v. Wade? Abortion law expert Mary Ziegler argues that the U.S. Supreme Court decision, which decriminalized abortion in 1973 and was overturned in 2022, had a hold on us that was not si...