What is Roe versus Wade?
Roe v. Wade was filed in Texas. A woman claimed her pregnancy was the product of rape, but she could not get an abortion because at the time, many states had laws prohibiting abortion. The suit was filed on behalf of the woman, referred to as “Jane Roe”, and the defendant was a D.A. named Henry Wade. The case was appealed all the way to the Supreme Court, and the court’s ruling was that state laws banning abortion were unconstitutional. The ruling came down 7 to 2, and stated that a woman should be able to legally terminate her pregnancy at any time prior to the point where the pregnancy became viable. (viable was defined as being able to live, with or without artificial aid, outside the womb – usually 28 weeks but sometimes as early as 24). Another lesser known case came down at the same time, allowing that abortions after that time should be available in cases where the mother’s health was at risk (Doe v. Bolton). This ruling affected laws in nearly every state, and has provided more
