In 1973, single mother Norma McCorvey won a class action that allowed women the constitutional right to privacy, in the context of abortion. 

McCorvey, who went by the pseudonym Jane Roe, was pregnant with her third child and wanted an abortion. At the time McCorvey, who lived in Texas, was unable to get an abortion due to Texas’ abortion laws.

Her case began in 1970, when McCorvey filed a case against the Dallas District Attorney, Henry Wade. Eventually this case was brought to the Supreme Court where it was ruled (7-2) that it was unconstitutional to restrict abortions.

On May 2nd 2022, a draft of a court ruling was leaked by Politico. The contents of this leak included the plan to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Upon learning this news, uncertainty rose throughout the county. Countless American citizens gathered outside the Supreme Court Building and the homes of the judges included in this case to protest. 

The abolishment of Roe v Wade will allow each state to create their own laws regarding abortion. For states like California and New York, laws will most likely stay the same. However, more conservative states will presumably input stricter abortion laws.

The states that will create more restrictive laws include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Many of these laws will outlaw abortion at the point a heartbeat can be detected within a fetus, (around 6 weeks). Other states have “trigger laws” that will ban abortions entirely, with no exceptions for rape or incest. 

If Roe v Wade is overturned, the way America conducts abortion will never be the same. For some this is a relief, for others this is the beginning of a relentless battle.