What Does Roe V Wade Protect Besides Abortion?

In 1973, the Supreme Court decided the landmark case of Roe v. Wade. The case was brought by Norma McCorvey, who was pregnant and seeking an abortion. The Court ruled that a woman’s right to privacy included her decision to have an abortion. The Court also ruled that the government had a compelling interest in protecting the health of the mother and could regulate abortion before viability but not after viability except when necessary for the mother’s health. The Court based its decision on the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This landmark decision has been controversial and has been subject to many challenges over time. It has been reaffirmed by five Supreme Court justices on several occasions, most recently in 1992. Although there are some restrictions on abortions allowed by law (parental consent laws, prohibition of late-term abortions) based on this ruling, commentators generally agree that this case is a “license to kill” because it allows virtually any reason for an induced abortion up until birth if necessary to preserve mother’s health and safety; critics maintain that such latitude for doctors is unnecessary and dangerous for women because it can lead to euthanasia or infanticide.