VIDEO: 6Q (2:30-3:29)
BY VICTORIA GOUDREAULT Roe v. Wade
Abortion Facts 1950: about 200,000-1,300,000 illegal abortions Mothers not held accountable until after No deaths/injuries: unsuccessful/not a crime Could get legal abortion if qualified
Abortion Qualifications To save mother’s life To protect mother’s physical health To protect mother’s mental health
Reasons for Wanting Abortion Rape Not enough money Did not want children Severe deformities Single
Specific Abortion Laws Ellenborough Law--passed 1803 in England Comstock Act--passed 1873 in U.S. Edward Law, 1 st Baron of Ellenborough Anthony Comstock
Norma McCorvey Norma McCorvey, Was pregnant but couldn’t afford to have the baby No abortion options available Texas, 1973 Court name: Jane Roe Was forced to have her baby 21 when she became pregnant
Sarah Weddington Sarah Weddington, Was a lawyer in the case Was 26 when she met McCorvey Had wanted to challenge abortion laws Had been looking for abortion plaintiff At 1 st : reluctant to use McCorvey Had learned of McCorvey through Coffee
Linda Coffee Linda Coffee, Was a lawyer in the case Was 23 when she met McCorvey Had wanted to challenge abortion Had been searching for abortion plaintiff At 1 st : reluctant to use McCorvey Had introduced Weddington to McCorvey
The Results Abortion became legal About 1,600,000 women received legal abortions (U.S. only) Mid-1990s: 1/5 population had abortion (15+) 2006: over-the-counter emergency birth control approved by FDA
Works Cited Blackmun, Harry. "Roe v. Wade: The Full Text." Milestone Documents in American History. Ed. Finkelman Paul. 4 vols. Schlager Group, Salem History Web. 25 Nov Dyer, Leigh. "Roe v. Wade: Document Analysis." Milestone Documents in American History. Ed. Finkelman Paul. 4 vols. Schlager Group, Salem History Web. 25 Nov Faux, Marian. Roe v. Wade. New York: Macmillan, Print.