ROE v. WADE (1973)
The case that CHANGED Abortion
The Law
Texas statutes made it a crime to procure or attempt an abortion except when medically advised for the purpose of saving the life of the mother.
Facts of the Case
Jane Roe was an unmarried and pregnant Texas resident in 1970. Roe filed suit against Wade, the district attorney of Dallas County, contesting the statue on the grounds that it violated the guarantee of personal liberty and the right to privacy implicitly guaranteed in the First, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendments. In deciding for Roe, the Supreme Court invalidated any state laws that prohibited first trimester abortions.
Court Ruling
Case decided in 1973 by the U.S. Supreme Court. Along with Doe v. Bolton, this decision legalized abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy. The decision, written by Justice Harry Blackmun and based on the residual right of privacy, struck down dozens of state antiabortion statutes. (Doe v. Bolton was a decision of the United States Supreme Court overturning the abortion law of Georgia.)
citations
OYEZ WEBSITE:
"ROE v. WADE." Roe v. Wade. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.
WIKIPEDIA:
"Roe v. Wade." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Nov. 2013. Web. 05 Dec. 2013.