DETROIT (WWJ) - Forty years ago Tuesday the Supreme Court made abortion legal nationwide in the decision of Roe versus Wade.

President of Planned Parenthood Mid and South Michigan, Lori Lamerand, says the Supreme Court’s decision on January 22, 1973 played a pivotal role in women having access to healthcare.

“Our hope is to that people really rally around making sure that women and families really have access to reproductive health care and insure that birth control is available to people and that we move closer to closer to ending the need for abortion,” said Lamerand.

But Ed Rivet, legislative director of Right to Life of Michigan, says legislators need to decide what role abortion plays when it comes to healthcare coverage:

“Many of us today have insurance polices where abortion is covered even though we want it and that’s a decision we have to make as a state of Michigan as we see the oncoming of the federal healthcare law,” Rivet said.