In 1973 the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision seemed to settle the abortion issue for all time. However, that victory did not win the war, and the impact of that milestone decision still echoes in on-going controversy, litigation, and political maneuvering. In this revised edition, Eva Rubin's discussion of Roe Vs. Wade's far-reaching abortion decision has been updated to bring the litigation and political-judicial controversy up through 1986. This revised account notes the changing character of the controversy and tries to assess the role of the courts in initiating social change and in controlling the impact of divisive political and social issues.

EVA R. RUBIN is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at North Carolina State University.