Reproductive Rights, which include the availability of safe and legal abortion and access to accurate medical information, continue to be debated in 2019. While some stakeholders see these rights as a fundamental part of democratic freedoms that all citizens deserve, others see abortion and reproductive rights as part of a feminist and partisan agenda. Still others see the debate as either pro-life or pro-choice and fall squarely on one side or the other. This talk will explore the topic of reproductive rights in historical context by tracing policies that were punitive to African American women through to the watershed 1973 case of Roe vs. Wade. The talk will also provide information on medical details integral to the discussion of conception and gestation. Panelists will also examine the status of legislation in the United States within a comparative global framework. An open discussion with audience members will follow the presentation.