In 1973 the United States Supreme Court decided the case of Roe V. Wade. Jane Roe was a single mother trying to raise one child on a limited income. She was living in Dallas Texas when she became pregnant with another child. There were no medical issues that would have prevented her from carrying this child to full term. The lack of income and already having a child was her deciding factor.In March of 1970 Jane Roe filed suit against the state of Texas. She declared that the Texas Criminal Abortion Statues were unconstitutional. Jane Roe claimed that the Texas statue was vague and took away her right of personal privacy. These rights were protected by the first, fourth, fifth, ninth and fourteenth amendments as far as Jane Roe was concerned. Roe claimed that she was not suing for herself alone but for all women.Many cases went before Roe V. Wade but none as famous. To understand Roe V. Wade we first have to look back. Poe V. Ullman (1961), Griswold V. Connecticut (1965), United States V. Vuitch (1971) and Eisenstadt V. Baird (1972). All these cases were about our rights. What right God gave us and what rights are in the Constitution and Bill of Rights. The first cases were about ending laws that kept contraceptives out of individual hands. In Griswold V. Connecticut the (8-1) decision was a land breaking mark. It gave the substantive Due Process new life and enhanced our rights to privacy.Since the beginning of time abortion has been controversial. To some it is a taboo to others it is a right that only a woman can decide for herself. In the thirteenth century the termination of a fetus, no matter what stage of pregnancy was considered a homicide. Later in society abortion was looked at less harshly. By the 1970s abortion was illegal in almost every state. If you had an abortion or performed one you would be prosecuted. The decision whether or not abortion was legal was left up to individual states.The statues t...
