On the issue of abortion, the Roe vs Wade case has always been a hot topic. Many people welcomed its introduction while others saw it as an immoral act. The divide is so stark that culture wars have erupted between the two sides of the argument.

What is Roe v Wade?

The ruling states that a pregnant woman’s right to choose is protected under the US constitution. This means that a woman has a right to an abortion without any government interference in the United States. The abortion legislation differs depending on how far along the pregnancy is. In the first _____1_____ months, the woman has complete control and autonomy when it comes to _____2_____ the pregnancy. Although, it gradually becomes far more restrictive in later trimesters up until the point where the doctor has to decide what is best for both mother and child.

How did Roe v Wade become law?

The ruling is named after Jane Roe (a fake name to conceal ______3_____ McCorvey’s identity at the time) and _____4_____ Wade (who was the district attorney of Dallas County, Texas). Roe was a pregnant woman who issued a lawsuit in regard to abortion regulations in Texas. The case was first filed in 1969 and was argued on several more occasions before taking four more years to be eventually written into law.

It was officially decided on the 22nd of January _____5_____. US supreme court judges deliberated on this case and were split between 7 for (Burger, Douglas, Brennan, Stewart, Marshall, Blackmun, and Powell) compared to 2 against (White and Rehnquist). After the decision, abortion was finally legalized.

Ever since then, both of America’s main two political parties have been fighting tooth and nail to get seats in the US supreme court because of this issue. Democrats and Republicans both know that control over the supreme court will decide if the ruling will continue or not.

Breaking the Law

Before the ruling, a medical professional could only perform an abortion if it was critical and the women’s life was on the line. Additionally, if a woman was truly _____6_____ about having an abortion, she would have to break the law in order to achieve that. These illegal abortions were often very unsafe too and some women were known to become seriously injured or die during the process. ______7_____ activists argue that this is a very good reason to protect the ruling and why we should never go back to those days.

Resistance

Even today, lawmakers have been fighting hard to overturn Roe vs Wade. ______8_____ activists have made it more difficult for pregnant women to gain access to abortions over the decades particularly with rulings such as “The Hyde Amendment”, “Gonzales v. Carhart”, “Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act” and “Planned Parenthood vs Casey”. Regulations have especially harmed low-income, non-white pregnant women seeing as they sometimes have to pay more and are also forced to _____9_____ in order to get an abortion procedure.

Over the years, Republicans have been pushing the idea that _____10______ should be able to decide whether or not to honor the ruling rather than it being a blanket, nationwide law. This is basically what would happen if Roe vs Wade were to be abolished completely. Surprisingly, McCorvey switched to an anti-abortion stance in the 1990s. However, years later, she admitted that she was _____11_____ by pro-life groups to take the opposing view.

Support

Roe v. Wade has forever been a controversial court case since its inception. The main conflict between pro and anti-abortionists seems to be about the details of when human life actually begins. There are different schools of thought to this. Does it begin in the sperm, fertilized egg, _____12_____, or when the baby is born? Obviously, this is subjective for many.

Jane Roe believed that the law was an invasion of her and other women’s privacy. She even quoted amendments from the US constitution (specifically the _____13_____ amendment) to support her points. Roe also thought that the wording of the legislation at the time was far too vague and unconstitutional.

Many people believe that a lot of this comes down to personal choices and freedoms rather than having a politician or anyone else decide your fate. Furthermore, studies show that legal abortion procedures have a safety record of over 99% for the patient. According to one survey, only 1 in ______14_____ Americans wants Roe v Wade to be overturned.

It’s hard to believe that the fight still goes on for something that was first decided back in the 1970s. Many justify the ruling by demonstrating how women will still attempt to get abortions via dangerous do-it-yourself “coat hanger” abortion methods even if a ban does come to pass.