What is Roe v. Wade?

Roe v. Wade is a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court, decided in 1973. The court decision overturned a Texas Statute banning abortion and made abortion legal in the United States. The case was brought by a pregnant single woman, identified in court papers as Jane Roe, who had been denied an abortion by a Texas District Court. The Supreme Court held that the right of privacy included a woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy, and that the decision to have an abortion was a fundamental right.

Background to Roe v. Wade

In 1966, Planned Parenthood of Dallas, Texas filed a class action lawsuit, challenging the Texas Statute prohibiting abortion. The suit named Henry Wade, the District Attorney of Dallas, as the defendant. Norma McCorvey, who was known in court documents as “Jane Roe,” was added as a plaintiff. McCorvey was a pregnant single woman who had sought an abortion and had been denied by the Texas District Court.

Ruling of the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court heard the case in 1970, and while the Roe v. Wade decision did not answer the question of when life begins, it established the legal framework for when abortion laws may be allowed. The court ruled that the right of personal privacy included the right of a woman to decide whether or not to terminate her pregnancy and that a state could not prohibit or regulate abortion before the fetus was viable, or could survive outside the womb. In addition, the court held that a woman had a right to have an abortion after the point of viability, unless this interfered with the state’s compelling interest in protecting the health and safety of the mother or the life of the unborn child.

Legacy of Roe v. Wade

Roe v. Wade has become one of the most controversial decisions of the US Supreme Court and is the subject of ongoing legal disputes. The decision has had a direct and profound impact on the lives of women in the United States, and the legacy of the case has shaped many of the debates we see today about reproductive rights and women’s autonomy. The decision has endured for over four decades and continues to be a point of contention in the United States.