Question

Discuss the 1973 Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade and the continuing controversy over abortion.

Answer 1

Roe v. Wade was a major legal decision which was issued on January 22, 1973. In this the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Texas statute banning abortion thereby effectively legalizing the procedure across the United States. The court held that a woman's right to an abortion was implicit in the right to privacy protected by the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. Prior to Roe v . Wade, abortion had been illegal throughout much of the country since the last 19th century.

Roe v. Wade has proved to be controversial. But Americans remain divided in their support for a woman's right to choose an abortion. Many state have imposed restrictions on abortion rights since the 1973 ruling.

On Jan 22, 1973, the Supreme Court after 7- 2 decision legalized the procedure nationwide. The court divided pregnancy into three trimesters and declared that the choice to end a pregnancy in the first trimester was solely up to the woman. In the second trimester, the government could regulated abortion. Inorder to protect the mother's health, the court not ban it.

In the third trimester, the state could prohibit abortion to protect fetus that could survive on its own outside the womb, except when a woman's health was in danger.

Norma McCovery maintained a low profile following the court's decision, but in the 1980s she was active in the abortion rights movement.

In the mid of 1990s , after becoming friends with the head of an anti abortion group and converting to Catholicism, she turned into vocal opponent of the procedure.

Many states have imposed restrictions that weaken abortion rights. Americans remain divided over support for a woman's right to choose an abortion