Roe v. Wade was a pivotal United States Supreme Court decision regarding women's reproductive rights including the legality of abortion. The court decided on January 22, 1973, that the constitutional right to privacy protects a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy (“Roe v. Wade,” 2018). The case became one of the most controversial and debated decisions in the history of the Supreme Court and has continued to shape the United States for decades (Geoffrey R. Stone, 2018). 

The case was brought by the plaintiff Norma McCorvey, under the pseudonym “Jane Roe,” against the defendant Henry Wade, the District Attorney of Dallas Texas (Csusb, 2018). At the time, there were no federal laws prohibiting or guaranteeing abortion nationwide, instead leaving the decision completely up to the state. Texas had some of the strictest abortion laws, allowing it only in cases when the procedure was necessary to save the mothers life (Planned Parenthood, 2022). Both women seeking abortions and the doctors administering them were at risk of facing harsh legal consequences. (Wolf, 2025). This led many women to either travel to states where the procedure was legal, or sought out unsafe and illegal methods, endangering themselves and creating massive public health concerns (Planned Parenthood, 2022).

The case was argued before the Supreme Court on December 13, 1971. Attorneys for Roe argued that “liberty” guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment extended to the right to make private medical decisions regarding pregnancy, including the decision to terminate an unwanted pregnancy (Brennan Center For Justice, 2022). At the time, only seven of the nine justices were present. While the present panel heard and voted on the case, the justices decided that it was an issue of national importance and should be officially decided on by a full bench (Oyez - Body Politic, n.d.). Thus, the case was to be re argued on October 11, 1972. After being re argued, the final decision was declared by Chief Justice, Harry Blackmun. On January 22, 1973, the court issued a decision in a 7-2 majority that the constitutional right to privacy, held in the Fourteenth Amendment did in fact encompass a woman's decision to seek out an abortion. It held that excessively restrictive state regulations of abortion were unconstitutional. It did, however, also recognize that the state did possess a legitimate interest in protecting potential human life (“Roe v. Wade,” 2018).