This Day In 1970's History: Monday January 22, 1973
- The Supreme Court legalized abortion. In the first three months of pregnancy, abortion is now a matter between a woman and her doctor. The judges ruled 7-2 to make abortion legal, with Justices White and Rehnquist dissenting; Justice Blackmun wrote the majority decision. States may regulate abortion in the second trimester but only for the benefit of the mother's health, and states may forbid abortion in the last three months of pregnancy except to save the mother's life.
Planned Parenthood spokesman Dr. Alan Guttmacher praised the decision to give mothers "freedom of choice." U.S. Catholic Congress spokesman James McHugh said that the court is ignoring the rights of unborn children. The plaintiff in the abortion case said that she had to have her four children adopted because of her husband and because she couldn't get abortions. The plaintiff is a former mental patient. [CBS]
- The Supreme Court agreed to a hear case concerning state aid to private schools and upheld a lower court decision forbidding Fathers Phillip and Daniel Berrigan from visiting Hanoi. The court also upheld the power of the President to classify security documents without judicial review. [CBS]
- North Vietnam's Le Duc Tho and the Viet Cong's Madame Binh arrived in Paris for the final peace negotiations. Henry Kissinger also arrived in Paris and had no comment on the peace talks. The negotiators will meet at the Hotel Majestic, the scene of weekly public talks in past years. South Vietnam Foreign Minister Lam has come to Paris too, and he told a reporter that Kissinger and North Vietnam will sign the agreement first; the others involved will sign later. Lam stated that South Vietnam won't sign the same piece of paper as the Viet Cong, but that issue can be gotten around. [CBS]
- Press secretary Tom Johnson is reporting that former President Lyndon B. Johnson has died of a heart attack, which he suffered at 3:40 p.m. EST. Johnson was taken by plane from his ranch to Brooke Army General Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Johnson had two severe heart attacks previously, the last one only a few months ago. [CBS]
- South Vietnamese troops with U.S. air support repelled an enemy attack near Saigon. [CBS]
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