Roe v. Wade was one of the most controversial cases in Supreme Court History covering what women's right?
Answers
E-Mail this Page Print Format Glossary
Photo of Norma McCorvey, a.k.a. Jane Roe.
In 1972, Norma McCorvey ("Jane Roe") filed a lawsuit claiming that a Texas law criminalizing most abortions violated her constitutional rights.
Photo Credit: APRoe v. Wade (1973)
Roe v. Wade (1973) ruled unconstitutional a state law that banned abortions except to save the life of the mother. The Court ruled that the states were forbidden from outlawing or regulating any aspect of abortion performed during the first trimester of pregnancy, could only enact abortion regulations reasonably related to maternal health in the second and third trimesters, and could enact abortion laws protecting the life of the fetus only in the third trimester. Even then, an exception had to be made to protect the life of the mother. Controversial from the moment it was released, Roe v. Wade politically divided the nation more than any other recent case and continues to inspire heated debates, politics, and even violence today ("the culture wars"). Though by no means the Supreme Court's most important decision, Roe v. Wade remains its most recognized.