jun 14, 1992 - Martinez vs. Kansas

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Kansas state passed a sweeping anti-abortion law in 1987. A coalition of doctors and women’s rights organizations files suit. They build the argument on the newly ratified ERA, saying this law disproportionately burdens women in violation of their constitutional right to equal treatment. The Court upholds abortion rights not as a private medical choice, but as a matter of constitutional gender equality. This creates a new precedent, triggering a requirement that any abortion restriction pass strict scrutiny, the highest constitutional standard; it cements abortion access as part of civil rights, not just medical autonomy.

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