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Societal Response to Legal Judgments: What Society Can Learn from Librarianship in the Context of the US Jurisprudence on Abortion Rights

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2025

Adebowale Jeremy Adetayo  and
Roland Akindele
Adebowale Jeremy Adetayo
Affiliation:
Adeleke University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria. E-mail address: [email protected].
Roland Akindele
Affiliation:
Adeleke University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria. E-mail address: [email protected].
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Abstract

Librarianship is a profession guided by ethical principles that prioritize access to information and the protection of intellectual freedom. These principles can provide a framework for understanding how society should respond to legal judgments, particularly those that result in societal division. One such example is the 1973 landmark judgment in the United States, Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion. Despite multiple attempts to repeal it, a successful attempt in 2022 resulted in another landmark decision to overturn the ruling, prompting a political outcry from the Left.

However, it is crucial for all parties involved to adhere to ethical standards in responding to such divisive issues. This paper argues that librarianship can serve as a model for navigating divisive legal judgments. If society can adopt principles such as access to information and protection of intellectual freedom, it can move towards a more inclusive and respectful discourse. The adoption of these principles can enable all parties, including judges, citizens, and lawmakers, to better respond to divisive legal judgments. Librarianship emphasizes the importance of respectful and informed discourse, and its ethical principles can be used as a guide for creating an atmosphere of mutual respect and understanding.

Keywords

Roe v. WadeDobbs v. Jackson Women's Health OrganizationLibrarianshipJudgesEthicsAmericaUnited StatesConstitution
Type
Article
Information
International Journal of Legal Information , Volume 52 , Issue 2 , Summer 2024 , pp. 138 - 146
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by International Association of Law Libraries

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