Jane Roe, whose real name was Norma McCorvey, brought a federal case against Henry Wade, the district attorney of Dallas County, Texas, to challenge the legality of abortion. Roe argued she had a right to an abortion under her right to privacy. The Supreme Court ruled in 1973 that abortion was legal in the first trimester but could be regulated more heavily later in pregnancy. The ruling legalized abortion nationwide but remained controversial.

1. Michael Hicks, Haley Kornegay, Victoria Goff
Ashley Washington
Government
5th period
1/23/13

2. Roe V. Wade
(1973)

3. Who?
• Jane Roe, this was not her real name.
This name was used to protect her
identity. Her real name is Norma
McCorvey.
• She instituted federal action against Henry
Wade.
• He is the district attorney of Dallas County
of Texas.

4. What?
• Jane Roe had been abused when she was
a child, raped as a teenager and was
pregnant with her second child by the age
of 16. She was battling drugs and alcohol
at this time. She became pregnant with
her third child and wanted an abortion but
it was illegal and that’s when her court
case began.

5. When?
• The case began in 1970.
• January 22, 1973, The Supreme Court
shot down an 1857 Texas Statute that
made abortion illegal.

6. Where?
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District
of Texas
• Texas

7. Why?
• Jane Roe did not want another child
because she felt that she would not be
able to properly care for it. She fought all
she could to make abortion legal.
• Henry Wade felt that abortion should stay
illegal because he saw it as murdering an
innocent child.

8. How?
• Roe was decided on private grounds.
They felt this violated the “right to privacy.”
In this case they felt the abortion feel
under this same are.
• Doe v. Bolton- It threw out restrictions on
abortion in a more liberal Georgia Law.

9. Outcome and Opinions
• Abortion was made legal by the Supreme
Court. You could only have an abortion in
the first trimester of your pregnancy.
Anything after that is illegal.
• We personally feel that abortions are
wrong and should be illegal. If you are
going to do the do then you need to suffer
the consequences.

10. Bibliography
• http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/14199-the-trou