Roe at 50: "The Anniversary That Wasn't"

UW Center for the Humanities "Humanities NOW" panel, Room L140.

media release: In January 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark decision in Roe v. Wade, protecting a person’s constitutional right to control their own destiny. This year would have been the 50^th anniversary of the decision. However, in June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, leaving the legality of abortion up to individual states. Following the decision, an 1849 abortion ban took effect in Wisconsin, virtually ending legal abortion in our state.

We welcome you to join us for an intellectual and interdisciplinary discussion on this “anniversary that wasn’t”. We’ll share historical insights on Wisconsin’s 1849 abortion ban and the role of legal precedent; we’ll discuss the public health implications of the Dobbs decision, and we’ll provide a space to talk about reproductive justice and the current legal concerns and on-the-ground realities that people in Wisconsin and beyond face.

Our esteemed panelists will share insights from their respective areas of practice and expertise. We’re honored to be joined by:

• April Haynes (moderator), Associate Professor, Department of History, UW-Madison
• Brigid Mary Nannenhorn, PhD student, Department of History, UW-Madison
• Courtney Hayward, Director of Government Relations, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin
• Nina Varsava, Assistant Professor, Law School, UW-Madison
• Facilitated by Cindy I-Fen Cheng, Interim Director of the Center for the Humanities and Robinson Edwards Professor of History and Asian American Studies, UW-Madison

This event is free and open to all, and we’ll provide ample time for your questions and comments for the panelists.

Held twice each academic year, Humanities NOW discussions offer our campus and community intellectual resources for understanding complex events. We aim to bring together campus faculty and staff and community experts to discuss current issues that have relevance not just for the humanities and higher education but our broader community.