after viability so long as exceptions are made for
pregnancies that endanger the woman’s life or
health. That a majority inCaseyreaffirmed the fun-
damental nature of the abortion right makes it less
likely that the right will be overturned in the future.
Four justices inCasey, however, would have over-
turnedRoe, and Samuel Alito, who while on the
Third Circuit opined that all the provisions of the
Pennsylvania statute should be upheld, was later
nominated associate justice of the United States in
2005 and assumed office the following year.
Further Reading
Baird, Robert M., and Stuart E. Rosenbaum, eds.The
Ethics of Abortion: Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice.3ded.
Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 2001.
Glenn, Richard.The Right to Privacy: Rights and Lib-
erties Under the Law.Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-
Clio, 2003.
Mersky, Roy M., and Suzanne F. Young, comps.A Doc-
umentar y Histor y of the Legal Aspects of Abortion in the
United States: Planned Parenthood v. Casey.Littleton,
Colo.: Fred B. Rothman, 1996.
Howard C. Ellis
See also Abortion; Marriage and divorce; Medi-
cine;Rust v. Sullivan; Supreme Court decisions;
Thomas, Clarence; Women’s rights.
Plasma screens
Definition Screens consisting of thousands of gas-
filled cells that are sandwiched between two
glass plates, two sets of electrodes, and
protective layers
Plasma screen development led to the production of televi-
sion sets and monitors that can produce bright, clear pic-
tures on large screens that are only a few inches thick.
In an effort to develop effective displays for educa-
tional purposes, the plasma screen display was in-
vented in the 1960’s at the Coordinated Science Lab-
oratory at the University of Illinois by Donald Bitzer,
Gene Slottow, and Robert Wilson. Because of their
relatively large screen size and thin profile, the origi-
nal monochrome displays were popular in high-
profile places like lobbies, airport lounges, and stock
exchanges. In 1987, Larry F. Weber formed a com-
pany called Plasmaco to produce plasma screens.
The company manufactured monochrome plasma
computer displays until 1993.
When liquid crystal display (LCD) screens that
produced color started taking over the market,
Weber began the development of a color plasma dis-
play. He produced a flat-panel display consisting of
tiny, colored phosphors that were sandwiched be-
tween two glass panels and illuminated to different
intensities by a mixture of noble gases that were elec-
trically converted into the plasma state. The excited
phosphors emitted light of varying colors to gener-
ate an overall image. By 1994, Weber demonstrated
the brightness and contrast ratios available with such
screens.
In 1996, Plasmaco was purchased by Matsushita
Electrical Industries. Weber was retained as the pres-
ident of Plasmaco. Pioneer started selling the first
plasma screen televisions to the public in 1997. In
1998, plasma display panels (PDPs) were used for
televising Olympic events. It was a huge success.
Through the efforts of Weber and Bill Schindler, a
60-inch plasma screen prototype was unveiled in- It had the best contrast ratio of any screen in
the industry. After the price of plasma screen televi-
sions began to fall in the later part of 1999, they be-
came increasingly popular.
Impact Consumers are shifting from the tradi-
tional cathode-ray tube (CRT) televisions to flat-
panel plasma and LCD televisions that provide a
better television-viewing experience. With their
high resolution of images, exceptional color accu-
racy, image depth, widescreen aspect ratio, uniform
screen brightness, wide viewing angle, and slim,
space-saving design, plasma screen displays have rev-
olutionized every aspect of television viewing.
Plasma screens have universal display capability.
They can accept any video format, including high-
definition television (HDTV), digital television
video (DTV), DVD video, computer video, and digi-
tal satellite broadcasts. Plasma screens have domi-
nated in the larger television sizes, particularly 40
inches and above. The largest plasma screen display
in the world, 103 inches, was shown at the Consumer
Electronics show in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2006. Over
time, plasma screen manufacturers have devised
ways to greatly reduce the problem of screen burn-
in, the retention of images shown for a prolonged
period of time on plasma screens.676 Plasma screens The Nineties in America