Background
Under Roe v. Wade the government couldn't restrict abortion during which pregnancy stage? (“Roe v. Wade”, 2026).
What is the first trimester of pregnancy?
Explanation: During the first trimester of pregnancy the Court ruled, the state could not intervene in a person’s decision to have an abortion under normal circumstances (“Roe v. Wade”, 2026). Having abortions in the first trimester of the pregnancy is when the procedure is safest (Gold, 2003).
This Supreme Court case made abortion legal across the United States in 1973.
What is Roe v. Wade? (Center for Reproductive Rights, 2026)
What marginalized groups face the greatest barriers to accessing abortion care and are most impacted by abortion bans due to systemic inequities and limited resources (Berer, 2023)?
Who are Black individuals, Indigenous peoples, people of colour, people living in poverty, and young people?
Explanation: Social justice focuses on how systemic inequities burden marginalized populations differently; these groups lack the resources to navigate "healthcare deserts" created by restrictive laws
Required by the CNO this process ensures clients receive full information about abortion care options before making a decision.
What is Informed consent? (CNO, 2019)
Maria, a 19 year old student in a rural area, discovers she is pregnant. The nearest clinic that provides abortion care is over 200 km away, and she lacks the transportation and money needed to get there. This barrier highlights which social justice issue affecting abortion access?
What is health inequity? (CNO, 2019)
In 1930, nearly 2, 700 women died from this procedure, making up about 1/5 of all maternal deaths that year (Gold, 2003).
What is illegal abortion?
Explanation: One stark indication of the prevalence of illegal abortion was the death toll as mentioned in the prompt (Gold, 2003).
What is the made-up name that was used to protect the identity of the woman in the case of Roe v. Wade (Center for Reproductive Rights, 2026)?
Who is Jane Roe?
Internationally, the denial of reproductive healthcare is so serious that it is categorized as a form of violence that can be compared to this kind of treatment (López Cabello & Gaitán, 2021).
What is torture or inhuman treatment related to abortion?
This nursing role involves speaking up for clients' rights to access safe abortion care, especially when barriers or inequities exist.
What is Advocacy? (CNO, 2019)
A nurse caring for a Métis client ensures all discussions about abortion incorporate the client’s cultural beliefs and community values. This nursing principle reflects which TRC aligned approach?
What is cultural safety? (CNO, 2019)
Roe v. Wade led to this broad legal shift that improved reproductive health and safety in the U.S. (Gold, 2003).
What is making abortion legal nationwide?
Explanation: By making abortion legal nationwide, Roe v. Wade has had a dramatic impact on the health and well-being of American women. Deaths from abortion have plummeted, and are now a rarity (Gold, 2003). In addition, women have been able to have abortions earlier in pregnancy when the procedure is safest: during the first trimester which also reduces the death toll (Gold, 2003).
Which branch of government decided Roe v. Wade (Center for Reproductive Rights, 2026)?
What is the Supreme Court (judicial branch)?
When clinicians pressure certain groups, like Black and Latina women, more than others to use contraceptives or to limit their childbearing, this is an example of (Fuentes, 2023) ...
What is institutional bias in contraceptive care?
Explanation: Such bias reflects a history of racist attempts to limit childbearing among specific communities rather than supporting individual preferences and autonomy.
Nurses must promote this principle when addressing unequal access to abortion services among marginalized populations.
What is Health equity? (Dunn, 2026a)
A single mother faces challenges paying for transportation, the procedure, and childcare while seeking abortion care. The nurse connects her with financial and social support. This addresses which concept in nursing practice?
What are social determinants of health? (Dunn, 2026b)
While unintended pregnancy affected all social classes, the options for this specific demographic were often limited to "demeaning" choices or dangerous illegal procedures (Gold, 2003).
Who are poor/low-income women?
Explanation: Poor women and their families were disproportionately impacted. A study of low-income women in New York City in the 1960s found that almost one in 10 (8%) had ever attempted to terminate a pregnancy by illegal abortion; eight in 10 (77%) said that they had attempted a self-induced procedure, with only 2% saying that a physician had been involved in any way(Gold, 2003).
Before Roe, abortion was illegal in most states during which decade (Center for Reproductive Rights, 2026)?
What is the 1960s?
Two core concepts allow individuals to make personal decisions about family, relationships, and their own bodies, as recognized in Roe v. Wade. (Roe v. Wade, n.d.).
What are bodily autonomy and personal liberty?
This ongoing system identified by the TRC contributes to mistrust in healthcare and barriers to accessing safe abortion services for Indigenous communities.
What is Colonialism? (TRC Commission of Canada, 2015)
A nurse provides evidence-based abortion care, monitors for complications, and educates the client on all options. Which CNO role is being exemplified?
What is clinician? (CNO, 2019)
The Court identified the end of the second trimester as this critical starting point, after which a state could regulate or prohibit abortion to protect a fetus (“Roe v. Wade”, 2026).
What is fetal viability?
Explanation: The end of the second trimester, which the Court identified as the starting point of viability, the state could regulate or prohibit abortions in order to protect the pregnant person’s health or to preserve fetal viability (“Roe v. Wade”, 2026).
This legal U.S. document protects the right to privacy, including the right to abortion, as recognized in Roe v. Wade (Center for Reproductive Rights, 2026).
What is the Constitution?
Name the four core human rights that form the legal and ethical basis for access to abortion care (Roe v. Wade, n.d.).
What are the rights to life, privacy, non-discrimination, and freedom from inhuman or degrading treatment (Roe v. Wade, n.d.).
This nursing principle ensures abortion care respects Indigenous traditions and reduces bias, as emphasized in TRC Call to Action #23.
What is Cultural safety? (CNO, 2019) + (TRC Commission of Canada, 2015)
A nurse assumes that a client seeking an abortion “should” make a certain choice based on her cultural background and doesn’t ask about the client’s personal beliefs or values. This demonstrates a lack of which important approach in nursing?
What is cultural humility? (CNO, 2019)