The history of abortion in the United States is complicated, with the procedure being alternately accepted and contested by the public. Until the mid-1800s, abortion was regarded as a regular part of life for American women, and legislatures across the growing United States permitted the practice prior to “quickening,” an archaic medical term for fetal movement. Historians have traced the development of attitudes about conception and childbearing and have found that, at conception and during the early stages of pregnancy, women did not believe that a human life existed. As a result, women could easily obtain abortions until roughly four months into their pregnancy. Medical literature, scientific opinion, and popular publications from the late 1700s until the late 1800s regularly referred to herbs and medications that could be used to induce abortions, and midwives and nurses advertised their services openly to the public. Abortion providers were considered to be trusted, essential medical professionals, and abortion was regarded as a fundamental and unremarkable aspect of reproductive health care.