Blackmun Cartoon

Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun* is well known for authoring the majority opinion in Roe v. Wade (1973), the opinion that granted federal protection to reproductive rights. Jack Ohman’s 1992 editorial cartoon reflects the pro-choice sentiment as a protest signals for “Blackmun Batman” to not only uphold Roe in Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992) but also expand federal protections. The Supreme Courts’ recent decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022) overturned both Roe and Casey. Thirty years later, Ohman’s cartoon remains timely as reproductive rights continue to be a politically divisive issue in the United States.

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*Justice Blackmun and cartoonist Ohman were both Minnesotan natives. Ohman’s dedication comparing Justice Blackmun to Minnesotan Baseball Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew was the utmost compliment to Blackmun by Midwest standards at the time.