Cott began with a discussion on the initial attempts to ban abortion through state legislation, spearheaded by Boston gynecologist Horatio Storer. In the mid 19th century, through much of the United States, abortion was legal up until the woman began to feel a fetus move inside of her, known as quickening. In May 1959, a recommendation from the American Law Institute (ALI) expanded abortion access. Cott argued that Americans can draw on this history to navigate the current state of abortion rights in the United States. “Today’s patterns of abortion access and advocacy [are] different [from] then, but I think we can learn from it,” Cott said.