Remembering an Era Before Roe, When New York Had the "Most Liberal" Abortion Law in the Nation

Three years before Roe v. Wade established a constitutional right to abortion, New York legalized the procedure in 1970, turning the state into a magnet for women who wanted to terminate their pregnancies but were barred from doing so where they lived.

The New York law allowed abortions to be performed within 24 weeks of pregnancy and at any time if the woman’s life was at risk.

In the first two years after it was passed, health officials estimated that more than 400,000 abortions were performed in the state. Nearly two-thirds of those procedures were for women who had traveled from outside New York to take advantage of the policy.