Title: The Supreme Court . Law, Power & Personality . Famous Dissents . Roe v. Wade (1973) | PBS
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Content: The Supreme Court . Law, Power & Personality . Famous Dissents . Roe v. Wade (1973) | PBS























Intro | Court History | Supreme Inspiration | Biographies of the Robes | Famous Dissents | Primary Sources



















The landmark 1973 case Roe v. Wade expanded the newly articulated right of privacy to include the right of a women to terminate an unwanted or dangerous pregnancy. Above, pro-choice activists at a march. Photo taken from the U.S. House of Representatives Web site
Roe v. Wade (1973)
On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in one of the most famous -- and controversial -- cases in its history: Roe v. Wade. A 7-2 majority held that the Fourteenth Amendment protects a woman's " right to privacy ," and that this right encompasses the right to choose to terminate an unwanted or medically dangerous pregnancy. The decision overturned antiabortion statutes in states throughout the country and jump-started a politically powerful "right to life" movement that continues to oppose the decision and seek its reversal. Justices Byron White and William Rehnquist dissented.