22 janv. 1973 - Roe v. Wade

Description:

Under the pseudonym Jane Roe, Norma McCorvey, filed a lawsuit against district attorney of Dallas County, Henry Wade. McCorvey, pregnant, falsely claimed she was raped in order to obtain an abortion. This failed. She challenged Texas's law on illegal abortion, with exception involving rape, incest, or endangerment of mother's life. The Supreme Court ruled in her favor, using the same justification as in Griswold v. Connecticut.

This court case legalized abortion up to 24 to 28 weeks after conception. After this, abortion is only legal if the mother's life is in danger. This was a step in the right direction toward women's control of their own bodies.