What is Roe vs. Wade? What you should know about the ruling that decriminalized abortion in the United States

Supreme Court would overturn Roe v.

Wade according to leak to Politico 7:02

(CNN) --

Here's a look at the landmark Roe v.

Wade of the Supreme Court of the United States.

The case Roe vs.

Wade

1971:

The case is brought by Norma McCorvey, known in court papers as Jane Roe, against Henry Wade, the Dallas County district attorney, who enforced a Texas law that prohibited abortion except to save the life of a woman. woman.

The decision

January 22, 1973:

The United States Supreme Court, in a 7-2 decision, affirms the legality of a woman's right to have an abortion under the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution.

The Court held that a woman's right to an abortion was included in the right to privacy (recognized in Griswold v. Connecticut) protected by the Fourteenth Amendment.

The decision granted women the right to abort during the entire pregnancy and defined different levels of state interest to regulate abortion in the second and third trimesters.

The resolution affected laws in 46 states.

The full text of the judges' opinions can be read here.

Anti-abortion law goes into effect in Texas 4:08

• 5 keys to Roe vs.

  Wade, the case that decriminalized abortion in the US

Legal timeline of Roe vs.

Wade

1971

: The case is brought by Norma McCorvey, known in court papers as Jane Roe, against Henry Wade, the Dallas County district attorney, who enforced a Texas law that prohibited abortion except to save the life of a woman. woman.

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1971

: The Supreme Court agrees to hear the case brought by Roe v. Wade, who enforced Texas' abortion law, which had been found unconstitutional in a previous case in federal district court.

Wade ignored the court ruling and both parties appealed.

December 13, 1971

: The case is argued before the Supreme Court of the United States.

October 11, 1972

: The case is re-argued before the United States Supreme Court.

January 22, 1973

: The United States Supreme Court, in a 7-2 decision, affirms the legality of a woman's right to have an abortion under the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution.

June 17, 2003

: McCorvey (Roe) files a motion in the United States District Court in Dallas to have the case dismissed, asking the court to consider new evidence that abortion harms women.

Included are 1,000 affidavits from women who say they regret their abortions.

Sept. 14, 2004

: A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans dismisses McCorvey's motion to dismiss the case, according to the court clerk.

USA: Supreme Court upholds Texas abortion law 0:41

Participants

McCorvey

: Texas resident who sought an abortion.

Texas law prohibited abortions except to save the life of the pregnant mother.

McCorvey was pregnant when she became the lead plaintiff in the case.

She gave the baby up for adoption.

Since then, McCorvey has come forward and switched sides in the abortion debate.

In 1997, McCorvey founded Roe No More, a "pro-life" outreach organization that disbanded in 2008. McCorvey died on February 18, 2017.

Wade

: Dallas County District Attorney from 1951 to 1987. McCorvey sued him because he enforced a law that prohibited abortion except to save a woman's life.

He died on March 1, 2001.

Sarah Weddington

: McCorvey's attorney.

Linda Coffee

: McCorvey's attorney.

Jay Floyd

: He exposed the Texas case for the first time.

Robert C. Flowers

: Reorganized the Texas case.

Opinions of the justices of the Supreme Court

Majority

: Harry A. Blackmun (for The Court), William J. Brennan, Lewis F. Powell Jr., Thurgood Marshall

Contestants

: Warren Burger, William Orville Douglas, Potter Stewart

Dissenter

: William H. Rehnquist, Byron White

decriminalization of abortion