Roe Vs. Wade by Zaharina Velazquez

Important people involved:
-Norma L. McCorvey (Jane Roe)
-Attorneys Linda Coffee and Sarah Weddington
-Dallas District Attorney Henry Wade
-Chief Justice Warren E. Burger
-Justice Harry Blackmun

When and Where:
The courts decision was made on January 22, 1973. Taking place in the U.S. District Court in Texas after reaching the Supreme Court in 1972.

What Happened:
In 1969, single Norma L. McCorvey discovered she was pregnant and decided she did not want the child. Texas law (at the time) allowed a woman carrying a child product of rape or incest to abort, so she claimed to have been raped. Because she had not filed a report with the police she was rejected the abortion. This eventually led her to hiring attorneys Linda Coffee and Sarah Weddington who filed a suit in the Texas court. After much dispute and many years in court, the case went to the Supreme Court were the decision was made based on the Nineteenth Amendment. The amendment protecting a persons right to privacy is broad enough to allow a woman decide whether or not she wishes to continue her pregnancy.

Order of Events:
1969- Norma L. McCorvey pregnant but doesn’t want baby
1970- Hires attorneys and goes to court.
1972- Case reaches Supreme Court on appeal.
1973- Decision made with a 7 to 2 majority in favor.

Outcomes:
The important outcome of this event was the over turning of Texas interpretation of abortion law, thus making abortion legal. This case decision stated that a woman could have an abortion in early months of pregnancy with no restrictions and with some restrictions in later months. This decision has lead to a LOT of controversies in the years following it.

Effects and Significance:
After the decision was made there was an uprise through protest. Two groups arose, pro-life supporters and pro-choice supporters, both of whom to this day continue to fight for their cause. Pro-life supporters believe that life begins at conception and therefore and abortion is taking a life. An abortion is not only a form of murder but a violation to the right to live. Pro-choice supporters believe that a woman should have the right to choose whether she wants to have the child or not.
This event is important because it is still a hot topic today. Every year, on the anniversary of the final decision to the case, people protest. Pro-life supporters continue to fight to make abortion illegal and add restrictions to it while pro-choice support the courts decision. Today, many states are unsure of what to do in response to the topic and so it is important to know how and why this was all started.