Abortion in the United States

=== Sherri Finkbine ===
{{main|Sherri Chessen}}
In the early 1960s, a controversy centered around children's television host Sherri Finkbine that helped bring abortion and abortion law more directly into the American public eye. Living in the area of [[Phoenix, Arizona]], Finkbine had had four healthy children; during her pregnancy with her fifth child, she discovered the child might have severe deformities when born.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://advocatesaz.org/2012/08/15/sherri-finkbines-abortion-its-meaning-50-years-later/|title=Sherri Finkbine's Abortion: Its Meaning 50 Years Later|date=August 15, 2012|work=Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona|access-date=December 2, 2017}}</ref> This was likely because Finkbine had been taking sleeping pills that she was unaware contained [[thalidomide]], a drug that increases the risk of fetal deformities during pregnancy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/whitny-braun/thalidomide-the-connectio_b_8881702.html|title=Thalidomide: The Connection Between a Statue in Trafalgar Square, a 1960s Children's Show Host and the Abortion Debate|last=Braun|first=Whitny|date=December 29, 2015|website=The Huffington Post|access-date=December 2, 2017}}</ref> Though Finkbine wanted an abortion, the [[abortion law]]s of Arizona only allowed abortions if a pregnancy posed a threat to the woman's life. The situation gained public attention after Finkbine shared the story with a reporter from ''[[The Arizona Republic]]'', who disclosed her identity in spite of her requests for anonymity. On August 18, 1962, Finkbine traveled to [[Sweden]] to obtain a legal abortion, where it was confirmed that the fetus had severe deformities.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cliohistory.org/click/body-health/reproduction/|title= Debating Reproductive Rights – Reproductive Rights and Feminism, History of Abortion Battle, History of Abortion Debate, Roe v. Wade and Feminists|website=Cliohistory.org|access-date=December 2, 2017}}</ref>

Finkbine's story marked a turning point for [[women's reproductive rights]] and abortion law in the United States. Still, Finkbine was only able to get an abortion because she could afford to travel overseas for it,<ref>{{cite web|title=Abortion|url=https://www.who.int/westernpacific/health-topics/abortion|access-date=December 16, 2020|website=Who.int}}</ref> highlighting an inequality in abortion rights persisting to this day whereby many women cannot afford or otherwise do not have the resources to obtain a legal abortion; in such cases, women may turn to [[illegal abortion]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dore |first=Kate |date=June 24, 2022 |title=Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade will financially hurt the 'most marginalized' women, experts say |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/24/roe-v-wade-decision-expected-to-financially-hurt-marginalized-women.html |access-date=June 28, 2022 |website=[[CNBC]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lenharo |first=Mariana |date=June 24, 2022 |title=After Roe v. Wade: US researchers warn of what's to come |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]|volume=607 |issue=7917 |pages=15–16 |doi=10.1038/d41586-022-01775-z |pmid=35750925 |bibcode=2022Natur.607...15L |s2cid=250022457 |doi-access=free }}</ref>