The ISU Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance is commemorating the monumental court decision in Roe v. Wade by celebrating a woman’s right to choice.

Abby Hansen, president of the FMLA, said the decision was important and it gave the right to reproductive choice.

“The decision made abortion both legal and safe,” said Hansen, senior in women’s studies.

Before Roe v. Wade, she said, abortions performed by unskilled, unprofessional abortionists were more dangerous.

“Now women can go to a hospital with a real doctor,” she said. Roe v. Wade “gave women a lot of freedom they didn’t have before.”

The FMLA kicks off its celebrations today by serving anniversary cake in the Memorial Union from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The short video “Never Go Back,” which focuses on the struggle to protect women’s right to reproductive choice, will be played at 7 p.m. in the Gallery of the Memorial Union. A discussion of the video will follow. Both events are open to all students.

FMLA members will spread their message Wednesday by hanging pro-choice hangers around campus to symbolize the safety of legal abortions.

On Thursday, Alliance members will continue their campaign by wearing pro-choice T-shirts, and will meet Friday for coffee to wrap up the week.

Nichole Feuerstein, FMLA events coordinator, also emphasized what Roe v. Wade did for women.

“It brought abortion rights to a safer level,” said Feuerstein, sophomore in chemical engineering. “It made abortion more accessible to women of varied financial backgrounds.”

The FMLA hopes the week’s events raise awareness about abortion rights among the student body, said Paula Deleeuw, FMLA public relations officer.

“People have to be aware that this is a [fundamental] right,” said Deleeuw, sophomore in art and design.

It’s a right, Hansen said, many people take for granted.

Most students have “grown up in an age where they didn’t have to think about the fact that abortion was once illegal,” she said. “We have all been able to live with this option.”

Alliance members believe increased awareness of abortion rights is essential, especially in light of the precarious situation in the U.S. Supreme Court, where the controversial right possibly could be repealed, Hansen said.

“It makes it kind of scary to think about,” she said.

That uncertainty makes the recognition of Roe v. Wade even more important, Feuerstein said.

“We’re celebrating [the anniversary] in order to express the fact that it’s in jeopardy right now,” she said.