Title: An Overview of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court Decision
Headings: The Roe v. Wade Supreme Court Decision
The Roe v. Wade Supreme Court Decision
Fast Facts: Roe v. Wade
Facts of the Case
Constitutional Issues
The Arguments
Majority Opinion
Dissenting Opinion
The Impact
Sources
Watch Now: Roe v. Wade Supported By 70% Of Americans

Content: The state could choose to "regulate, or even proscribe abortion" as long as the life and health of the mother was protected. Siding with the majority were Harry A. Blackmun (for The Court), William J. Brennan, Lewis F. Powell Jr., and Thurgood Marshall. Concurring were Warren Burger, William Orville Douglas, and Potter Stewart
Dissenting Opinion
In his dissenting opinion, Justice William H. Rehnquist argued that the framers of the 14th Amendment did not intend for it to protect a right of privacy, a right which they did not recognize and that they definitely did not intend for it to protect a woman’s decision to have an abortion. Justice Rehnquist further argued that the only right to privacy is that which is protected by the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition of unreasonable searches and seizures. The Ninth Amendment does not apply here, he wrote. Finally, he concluded that because this issue required a careful balance of the interests of the woman against the interests of the state, it was not an appropriate decision for the Court to make, but instead was a question that should have been left up to state legislatures to resolve. Dissenting were William H. Rehnquist (for The Court) and Byron R. White
The Impact
The Texas statute was struck down as a whole, and further, Roe v. Wade legalized abortion in the United States, which was not legal at all in many states and was limited by law in others. All state laws limiting women's access to abortions during the first trimester of pregnancy were invalidated by Roe v. Wade. State laws limiting such access during the second trimester were upheld only when the restrictions were for the purpose of protecting the health of the pregnant woman. As for McCorvey, four days after the decision, she publicly identified herself as Jane Roe.