How we got here: Roe v. Wade from 1973 to today

In 1976, just a few years after the Supreme Court handed down its opinion in Roe v. Wade, most Americans thought abortion should be legal in at least some circumstances.

Those numbers haven’t changed much over almost 50 years. Most Americans still believe abortion should be legal in most circumstances. But our politics have shifted dramatically. Anti-abortion Democrats and pro-abortion rights Republicans are dwindling breeds.

Why? One major reason is a deliberate, decadeslong campaign on the right to overturn Roe v. Wade. Conservative attorneys brought cases that undermined Roe with the hope that, by chipping away at the ruling,...