Abortion and the Law in the US

How to research abortion topics

Where to Look in the Library

The Library of Congress classification system is complex and can be very confusing. Librarians are available for research appointments to help you find the resources you are looking for!

If you are interested in browsing the stacks, places to start include:

• HQ (Social Sciences: Women and families)
  • HQ 767+ Abortion
• KF (Law: Law of the United States)
  • KF 226-228 Civil trials
  • KF 481 Fetuses as natural persons
  • KF 3771 Abortion law
  • KF 9315 Criminal law related to abortion and procuring miscarriage
• RG (Medicine: Gynecology and obstetrics)
  • RG 500-991 Obstetrics (including pregnancy, miscarriage, prenatal care, and labor)

Keywords to Search For

Searching in library databases can be challenging, especially if you do not know what keywords to focus on.

Search terms to consider include:

• abortion
• adoption
• contraception OR "birth control" OR [specific method of birth control, like "IUD" or "vasectomy"]
• "in vitro fertilization" OR "IVF"
• "maternal mortality rate"
• "pro-choice movement" OR "abortion rights movement"
• "pro-life movement" OR "anti-abortion movement"
• "reproductive justice"
• "reproductive rights"
• surrogacy
• "unplanned pregnancy"

Librarians are available for research appointments to help you find the resources you are looking for!