January 22 is a notable date in history most of us probably don’t discuss too much in school: Today is the 37th anniversary of the Supreme Court‘s Roe vs. Wade decision which effectively legalized abortion in the United States. Do you think anyone could have foreseen how, 37 years later, abortion would still be so controversial?

After the jump, let’s take a look at what abortion supporters, as well as abortion opponents, have planned for this day:

Norma McCorvey, the woman who served as the plaintiff in the Roe vs. Wade decision which effectively legalized abortion across America, was arrested today with anti-abortion protesters outside of Sonia Sotomayor‘s Supreme Court confirmation hearing. Capitol Police told That Washington Post that McCorvey and her pro-life cohorts made it into the chambers of the confirmation hearing and started yelling during Sen. Al Franken’s opening remarks.

Mary Rambin, part of the “three-headed blogging Hydra” that is Non Society (which, cheekily, made our list of the best female bloggers of 2008), is arguably the most absurd and vapid of the bunch. While her fellow “lifecasters” have moments of ingenuity, intelligence and creativity, Mary bugs me because her sole contribution to the Non Society platform are blog posts about what she’s wearing, occasional commentary about celebrity style, and thinly veiled endorsements of weight loss juice cleanses like Blueprint. But she just hit a new low. In a blog post entitled, “My Body, My Botox,” Rambin actually compares a women’s “right” to have cosmetic enhancements to the right to have an abortion. Rambin writes:

“I site Roe v. Wade because it serves as a marker of people accepting (maybe not respecting) a woman’s right to choose.  Although abortion is still an issue at the forefront, it’s notable the Supreme Court recognized women should be able to do what they feel is right for themselves. Cosmetic procedures should be viewed in the same light.  Not to mention the procedures are in no way effecting another human being, so the severity of the issue is considerably less.  But as with breast implants, time will have to pass before others view cosmetic procedures as acceptable.  I won’t say ‘the norm’ because I do think artificial enhancement should carry with it serious consideration before you undergo any sort of procedure.  Other things like manicures and pedicures, dental work, highlighting your hair, are all ‘procedures’ that are completely unnatural but we consider normal.”

We just got a press release in the mail for a new line of denim called “Freedom Of Choice”, which we initially thought was named after the right afforded by Roe V. Wade. Not so! According to the designer, Nathan Menashe (of course, a man), Freedom of Choice jeans are for women who “need a pair of jeans that they can wear in the workplace and then go out in afterwards. They need all this plus that special detail that will make their jeans stand out from the rest of the pack.” Get it? Women need the freedom to choose jeans that they can wear in a board meeting AND when they’re out getting smashed with their friends. Take that, Roe V. Wade!