ALTOONA - It's been 40 years since the landmark Supreme Court ruling that lifted abortion bans across the country, and the emotional debate over reproductive rights is stronger than ever.
Penn State Junior Kristen DeAngelis is an example of the polarizing issue.
"I think it's a horrible situation," she said about abortion. "It's such a bad thing and people don't realize the implications on what an abortion actually is."
DeAngelis is president of the Penn State group, Students For Life.
"I've been pro-life all my life," DeAngelis said. "But I really got into it in college because I learned more about it by joining this club."
Seeing Roe v. Wade differently is Katherine Muller, a member of the Blair County Democratic Committee.
Muller believes Roe v. Wade set the stage for concern over reproductive rights for women in the U.S.
"It's about access to birth control, health information, sexually transmitted diseases," she said. "When people have access to those things, there's a decrease in unwanted pregnancies and a need for abortion."
Muller also believes many younger critics of Roe v. Wade lack perspective on what life was like for some before abortions were legal.
"People were getting them illegally, it was unsafe, there were infections and in some cases loss of life," Muller said.
Over at Penn State, DeAngelis doesn't agree about lacking perspective on the issue.
"Just because I wasn't born during that time doesn't mean I haven't done the research," she said. "It's still unsafe to go through abortions."
In the years ahead, Muller is confident the Supreme Court will uphold Roe v. Wade if its ever challenged.
"People who are pro-choice accept that the right to a safe, legal abortion is the law of the land," she said.
According to the latest Pew Research Center poll on Roe v. Wade, 63% of those polled said they would not like to see the court completely overturn the landmark ruling.
To follow more reporting from WTAJ's Cody Combs, follow him on Facebook here...
Penn State Junior Kristen DeAngelis is an example of the polarizing issue.
"I think it's a horrible situation," she said about abortion. "It's such a bad thing and people don't realize the implications on what an abortion actually is."
DeAngelis is president of the Penn State group, Students For Life.
"I've been pro-life all my life," DeAngelis said. "But I really got into it in college because I learned more about it by joining this club."
Seeing Roe v. Wade differently is Katherine Muller, a member of the Blair County Democratic Committee.
Muller believes Roe v. Wade set the stage for concern over reproductive rights for women in the U.S.
"It's about access to birth control, health information, sexually transmitted diseases," she said. "When people have access to those things, there's a decrease in unwanted pregnancies and a need for abortion."
Muller also believes many younger critics of Roe v. Wade lack perspective on what life was like for some before abortions were legal.
"People were getting them illegally, it was unsafe, there were infections and in some cases loss of life," Muller said.
Over at Penn State, DeAngelis doesn't agree about lacking perspective on the issue.
"Just because I wasn't born during that time doesn't mean I haven't done the research," she said. "It's still unsafe to go through abortions."
In the years ahead, Muller is confident the Supreme Court will uphold Roe v. Wade if its ever challenged.
"People who are pro-choice accept that the right to a safe, legal abortion is the law of the land," she said.
According to the latest Pew Research Center poll on Roe v. Wade, 63% of those polled said they would not like to see the court completely overturn the landmark ruling.
To follow more reporting from WTAJ's Cody Combs, follow him on Facebook here...
Charlotte Ames is the area's only local Health Reporter and brings you the latest medical health news weeknights. You can catch Healthcast on WTAJ News at 5:00pm and her Health Headlines report on WTAJ News at 5:30pm.