What is Roe v. Wade?

The case of Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113, was a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States protects a pregnant woman’s right to choose abortion without excessive government restrictions. The decision invalidated many federal and state abortion laws in the United States.

The case involved Norma McCorvey, better known as “Jane Roe,” who became pregnant with her third child in 1969. McCorvey desired an abortion but lived in Texas, where abortion was illegal unless it was necessary to save the mother’s life.

Her attorneys, Sarah Weddington and Linda Coffee filed a lawsuit in federal court in the United States on her behalf against her local district attorney, Henry Wade, alleging that Texas’ abortion laws were unconstitutional.

The case was heard by a three-judge panel of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, which ruled in her favour. Texas then filed a direct appeal with the United States Supreme Court.

In January 1973, the Supreme Court issued a 7–2 decision in McCorvey’s favour, ruling that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment was violated.