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: Because it is unduly intrusive, the Texas law is unconstitutional and should be overturned. The argument for the state rested on its duty to protect prenatal life. The unborn are people and, as such, are entitled to protection under the Constitution because life is present at the moment of conception. The Texas law was, therefore, a valid exercise of police powers reserved to the states to protect the health and safety of citizens, including the unborn. The law is constitutional and should be upheld. Majority Opinion
On Jan. 22, 1973, the Supreme Court handed down its ruling, holding that a woman's right to an abortion falls within the right to privacy protected by the 14th Amendment. The decision gave a woman a right to an abortion during the entirety of the pregnancy and defined different levels of state interest for regulating abortion in the second and third trimesters. In the first trimester, the state (that is, any government) could treat abortion only as a medical decision, leaving medical judgment to the woman's physician. In the second trimester (before viability), the state's interest was seen as legitimate when it was protecting the health of the mother. After the viability of the fetus (the likely ability of the fetus to survive outside of and separated from the uterus), the potential of human life could be considered as a legitimate state interest.