Pennsylvania seems like a liberal bastion compared to Alabama, where a minor cannot receive an abortion without obtaining parental consent unless a judge specifically allows the victim to bypass this requirement. A judge may do so in extenuating circumstances, such as, as Mark Joseph Stern points out in a Slate article from October 3^rd, if it was a parent that raped and impregnated the victim. And that is by no means the end of it, as state legislatures are currently pursuing a severe new law that allows a judge to appoint a lawyer to represent a minor’s fetus. 

Wednesday marked the 41st anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion. The decision is rightly credited with saving the lives of thousands of women: According to the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, prior to Roe, 5,000 women died annually from illegal abortions. So while many women are alive thanks to Roe, a strong argument can be made that in terms of quality of life, the ruling left much to be desired, particularly for black women.

2011 saw a record number of laws restricting abortion in U.S. states. It also saw a record number of state anti-immigrant laws. Coincidence? Maybe not. In 2000, 13 states were considered “hostile” to reproductive rights; by 2011, that number had doubled to 26 states, according to the Guttmacher Institute. 2011 was also a record year for anti-immigrant legislation.