watch 1968: american turmoil, women's rights. ♪ >> this month, we feature a student contest winners. we asked middle and high school students to choose a provision of the u.s. constitution and illustrate why it is important to them. our first prize middle school eighth-graders at eastern middle school in summer spring, maryland. i think looking at the 14th amendment, it is very important. it deals with our country views people of different genders. >> they was a fun process but it was hard to start off. once we found our topic we really have fun with it. >> was surprising how much

information we had. the most difficult part was condensing that information and incorporating all of the different quotes we wanted to make. >> abortion. >> abortion. >> abortion. >> abortion. >> abortion. >> abortion. >> recently this issue has become a controversy. over freedom, equality and basic rights. with 1.2 million females deciding to terminate a pregnancy every year, the issue is of growing importance. however this topic continues to be disputed. many people argue that abortion abortion sun constitutional. yet the denial of abortion can also be seen as an abridgement of a life and liberty guaranteed by the 14th amendment. >> women have a constitutional

right under both the liberty clause and the equality clause in the 14th amendment to make decisions about whether or not they want to be a parent. >> an abortion terminates the pregnancy of a female through either a pill or surgery. at that point the child the female is carrying is a group of cells. many women choose to terminate a pregnancy based on their own readiness and feelings about having a child. >> women make these decisions for a whole host of reasons. women's decisions about what's appropriate for them are as varied as there are women. >> i got pregnant when i was in college. i was 20, 21. i made the decision to have my daughter. but i considered not. >> however, the right to an abortion has been met with a variety of controversies. many people argue that the embryo or fetus should be considered human and therefore must be protected by all american rights. >> abortion is the killing of an unborn child. abortion is homicide. >> the two sides of the argument are known usually as anti-abortion or pro-life for those against abortion, and pro-choice for those who support abortion. these opposing sides have continued to fight, each one attempting to prove their

constitutionality. amendment 14 of the constitution declares that no state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the united states. nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty or property. without due process of law. this raises several controversy questions including is abortion protected by the 14th amendment? are abortion restrictions abridgements of life and liberty and therefore unconstitutional? and what is the future of america's reproductive rights? one of the most important cases to create legal measures for abortion was roe v. wade, a supreme court case where a woman was denied an abortion by the state of texas. the plaintiff argued that restrictions of abortion were denial of life and liberty and therefore against the 14th amendment. as a result, it was decided that abortions would be legal during the first trimester of pregnancy. >> specifically what roe v. wade decided was that in order to not deprive women of liberty, and

due process of liberty, that women had to be allowed to have abortions prior to viability. >> so supreme court has recognized repeatedly that the right to reproductive choice, that is to decide whether or not to have a baby and when to have a baby, is critical to the equality of women. >> however, some argue that roe v. wade came to an unconstitutional decision and should be overturned. >> abortion has not been a right in american history before roe vs. wade. a few states before roe vs. wade in the 1960's legalized abortion to one extent or another. approximately 13 to 14 states. but even those states did not legalize it to the sweeping degree that the court did in roe vs. wade. >> over time regulations shut down many abortion clinics. >> in my view, all of these kinds of laws are intended to make abortion more expensive,

more dangerous, more difficult to obtain. and really place hurdles in the path of women trying to seek a valid, legal, what should be a safe medical procedure. >> in many areas of the united states, abortions are inaccessible. as a result, many women must endure an unwanted pregnancy. which can have several important impacts. >> having a complicated pregnancy, pregnancy is not something anyone should be forced to endure. it's not what they choose. it is literally the idea of forcing someone to gestate and give birth is an unbelievable body desecration and invasion. >> however, many people with a pro-life viewpoint argue that abortion creates more issues for females. >> enforcing abortion laws would, i think, promote women's health in the united states. and reduce maternal mortality and contribute to women's flourishing. >> according to the institute of medicine, unintended pregnancies may cause women to have greater risk of depression and domestic violence. a study conducted in new zealand

showed that 13.4% of people who had unintended pregnancies encountered domestic violence in the six years after conception. yet it was 5.4% for females who had intended to conceive. additionally, an unintended pregnancy can stop females from continuing their education. as they must care for their infant. this leads to decreased opportunities for careers and income. the final piece of the abortion puzzle is its constitutionality. amendment 14 of the constitution clearly states that humans cannot be denied life, liberty and property without due process of law. yet this statement can be interpreted in many forms. this has caused many disputes about how abortion should be handled. which has been met with extremely polar beliefs on the subject. >> we have to hope the day when roe vs. wade is overturned, the court returns the issue to the american people. >> it's really critical for their health and for the recognition that they make important and have the legal ability to make important decisions about their lives. >> if women can't control their

reproduction, they can't participate fully in society. >> yet there have been several government efforts to restrict abortions. in 2010 current vice president mike pence attempted to pass a bill that would completely defund planned parenthood, a major abortion provider. current president donald trump has also claimed that women who have abortions should be punished. over time, abortion has emerged as a press issuing, shaping the way we view women's right, the constitution and our nation itself. restrictions to this procedure have been widely disputed, with many females being negatively effected when abortion is denied. yet the national government appears to move closer to reality with more restrictions, raising unanswered questions. could abortion become illegal? what would happen if abortion is restricted? and will our country still promote the general welfare and life and liberty if women are denied the right to choose? >> if you're going to deprive half the population of liberty and potentially life, simply because they have the potential

to get pregnant, you're making them second class citizens. >> to watch all of the prize winning documentaries in this year's student cam competition, visit studentcam.org. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] \[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2018] >> members of congress held a memorial ceremony for louise slaughter who died last month at the age of 88. schumer,included chuck anti-pelosi, pottery and -- paul ryan. this is about an hour.