Roe v. Wade

The infamous court trial of Jane Roe v Henry Wade (1973) was the court case legalizing abortion of the fetus before 24 weeks of age thus establishing a national standard. This case is the result of the original debate between pro life & pro choice camps.  The Court viewed the question as a matter of personal choice and privacy.  Conservative groups have managed to turn the argument of choice to that of the fetus rather than the Mother; there by refocusing the question on when does life begin.  This volatile topic has influenced  many issues such as elections in the legislative, and executive branches and judicial appointments.  This topic has come up in all of the presidential elections since 1973 and has been used to sway voters one way or another.  Conservatives have been moderately successful in getting politicians to use abortion as a litmus test as to fitness  for political office.  Mass protests by religious groups have been organized in the on going fight to preserve the life of the fetus. There are a 1.37 million abortions annually in America. With the teen pregnancy rate growing exponentially this topic is becoming more and more focused.  Roe v. Wade has created more controversy than  the question it was meant to answer therefore creating perpetual arguments. 

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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Anti-abortion protestors march in front of the Supreme Court Tuesday, January 22, 2002, the anniversary of the court's Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion." CHUCK KENNEDY. 22 Jan 2002. Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. eLibrary. Proquest CSA. MARY INST & ST LOUIS DAY SCH. 11 May 2009. <http://elibrary.bigchalk.com>.