Barbara Brites/Contributing Writer
Norma McCorvey, the anonymous plaintiff in the Supreme Court Case Roe v. Wade, died on Feb. 18, 2017 at the age of 69.
Roe v. Wade was a landmark Supreme Court case that fell within the right to privacy protected by the Fourteenth Amendment and began one of the most divisive controversies in the United States.
Better known by her legal pseudonym “Jane Roe,” she was 21 years old when she was pregnant with her third child and decided she wanted to get an abortion. She lived in Texas where abortion was prohibited so she filed a lawsuit as Jane Roe asking for the procedure to become legal.
The decision gave women the right to abortion during the entirety of the pregnancy and defined different levels of state interest for regulating abortion in the second and third trimesters.
“This case was the beginning of our era,” Clarissa Martin, sophomore majoring in Women’s and Gender studies, said. “For me, the importance of this case and the legacy that Jane Roe left is not about what side you choose or if you agree or disagree. It’s about how women had, for the first time, the right to do something for themselves.”
Since the ruling, more than 50 million legal abortions have been performed in the United States. In 1965, abortion was so unsafe that 17 percent of all deaths due to pregnancy and childbirth were the result of illegal abortion, according to Planned Parenthood. Today, less than 0.3 percent of women undergoing legal abortions at all gestational ages sustain a serious complication requiring hospitalization.
“For me, this case was a way for feminism,” said Rayna Milfort, vice-president of the National Organization for Women at FIU. “In a sense that they were fighting for abortion access for everybody no matter what was going on with that person and I think that is something really important that we must remember.”
Theological, ethical and legal debates about abortion continue in religious circles, governing bodies and political campaigns. This topic has influenced elections and the lives of ordinary people through books, films, the Internet and other forums.
“Whether we think about it or not, we can’t denied the major impact that this case has have in our life as women,” said Milfort.
President Trump has expressed a strong opposition to abortion, except in cases of rape, incest or when the mother’s health is endangered.
“If Roe vs. Wade were ever overturned, it would go back to the states,” Trump said during an interview on 60 Minutes.
At a Republican presidential debate in February, Trump acknowledged that Planned Parenthood “helps millions and millions of women” who go for services like breast and cervical-cancer screenings. However, he also said he would defund it because a portion of its services goes toward providing abortions.
“Look, if we had started laws telling men what they can and can’t do with their bodies, I am sure it would have been a different story,” said Milfort. “Roe vs. Wade gave us the power to choose for ourselves what we want to do with our bodies and I hope that we will continue to have that right to choose.”
Stephanie Espaillat, senior studying psychology and Women’s and Gender Studies, also gave her opinion about women’s healthcare in today’s political climate.
“It is understandable to be frightened, but I don’t believe we will ever see a day that having an abortion would be illegal,” she said. “Maybe, in the future, politicians will find avenues to restrict capabilities to perform them which are real scenarios. However, I still believe that we are ways away from seeing Roe v Wade from being overturned.”
Milfort added the fear doesn’t only relate to abortion and the right to choose, but also women’s health care, meaning birth control, HIV, aids, breast cancer screenings.
“A woman’s right to her body is a fundamental human right, and I am happy that this case helped solidify that notion. I believe that every women has a right to choose and for me that idea is empowering,” Espaillat said. “I still see why this is such an important milestone in women’s history, even though I find sometimes that this should have always been understood that women have this fundamental right to choose.”
Photo retrieved from Flickr
About Post Author
