The Roe v. Wade Case

Roe v. Wade was a 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case that legalized abortion nationwide. The case involved "Jane Roe," a woman who wanted to terminate her pregnancy but was blocked by Texas law, which only allowed abortions to save a woman's life. The Court ruled that the right to privacy implicit in the U.S. Constitution extends to a woman's decision to have an abortion, balancing this with states’ interests in protecting potential life. This decision established that women have the constitutional right to choose abortion, shaping reproductive rights debates ever since.