"In 1970, Jane Roe (a fictional name used in court documents to protect the plaintiff’s identity) filed a lawsuit against Henry Wade, the district attorney of Dallas County, Texas, where she resided, challenging a Texas law making abortion illegal except by a doctor’s orders to save a woman’s life. In her lawsuit, Roe alleged that the state laws were unconstitutionally vague and abridged her right of personal privacy, protected by the First, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendments."- Oyez
Roe v. Wade, decided in 1973 by the U.S. Supreme Court, was a landmark case that legalized abortion nationwide. The Court ruled that a woman’s right to choose an abortion was protected by the constitutional right to privacy under the 14th Amendment. This decision struck down state laws that heavily restricted abortion, recognizing a woman’s autonomy over her own body. Roe v. Wade significantly impacted reproductive rights in the U.S. and became a central issue in debates over women's rights and the role of government in personal decisions. Roe v. Wade had a profound impact on the second wave of feminism by solidifying reproductive rights as a central issue in the movement. The Supreme Court's decision to legalize abortion nationwide affirmed women's autonomy over their bodies and reinforced the feminist belief in gender equality. It empowered women to make decisions about their health and family planning without government interference, aligning with broader feminist goals of autonomy, freedom, and equality. The ruling also mobilized feminist activism, as it highlighted the ongoing need to protect and expand women's rights, and became a key victory that energized the second wave’s fight for social and legal reforms.
The letter above is one of many that urged representatives to allow legal abortions in their states. It is somewhat unreal that women today are facing the same issues again and writing similar letters.
How do you think the two cases differed and what has changed over the decades? Listen on this epiosde of "More Perfect" to hear from various speakers from those who have worked in the Supreme Court and others in the legal and women's rights fields to see what they think.
