Roe v. Wade is a United States Supreme Court case decided in 1973. Roe v. Wade & Doe. v. Dalton legalized first trimester abortions of a pregnancy, striking down individual state’s laws and statutes which made the practice illegal.

Roe v. Wade was decided 7-2 in favor of striking down a Texas state law (1857) outlawing abortions (except those deemed a medical emergency).

“Jane Roe”, an unmarried pregnant woman, desired to have an abortion; she filed a federal lawsuit that claimed that the Texas law was unconstitutional under the First, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments.

Interesting Note: Norma McCorvey (born Normal Leah Nelson), who later came forward as “Jane Roe”, announced in 1995 that she had “switched sides on the abortion debate” and was, going forward, pro-life. “I think I have always been pro-life, I just didn’t know it”.