Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), was a U.S. Supreme Court case that resulted in a landmark judicial opinion about privacy and abortion in the United States.[1] According to the Roe decision, most laws against abortion violated a constitutional right to privacy under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The decision overturned all state and federal laws outlawing or restricting abortion that were inconsistent with its holdings. Roe is one of the most controversial and politically significant cases in U.S. Supreme Court history.

The central holding of Roe v. Wade was that abortions are permissible for any reason a woman chooses, up until the "point at which the fetus becomes viable, that is, potentially able to live outside the mother’s womb, albeit with artificial aid. Viability is usually placed at about seven months (28 weeks) but may occur earlier, even at 24 weeks." [1] The decision prompted national debate that continues to this day about whether abortion should be illegal, about who should decide whether or not it is illegal, about the role of the Supreme Court in constitutional adjudication, and about the role of religious and moral views in the political sphere. Roe v. Wade reshaped national politics, dividing much of the nation into "pro-choice" and "pro-life" camps, and inspiring grassroots activism on both sides.

"Roe v. Wade." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 1 May 2007, 16:41 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 1 May 2007
<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Roe_v._Wade&oldid=127454511>.

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