"I took comfort in the knowledge that many other people around the country were as frustrated with the law as we were, and I began to see our efforts in Texas as one piece of a national patchwork."
-Sarah Weddington, Lawyer for Jane Roe
Abortion Before Roe v. Wade
At the time of our nation’s founding and up to the mid-1800s, abortion was legal. However, from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s, abortion was illegal in the majority of states. By the 1960’s, abortion was a state’s issue, more so than a federal issue (Guttmacher).
In the years leading up to Roe v. Wade, abortion was illegal and highly discouraged throughout the United States. Women would travel outside of the United States just to obtain a safe abortion. However, many people would have to resort to unsafe abortions, because they could not afford the price of traveling. In the 1950s and 1960s, an estimated 200,000-1.2 million illegal abortions were performed per year. The countless deaths of women sparked a national conversation that changed the abortion debate permanently (Guttmacher).
In the years leading up to Roe v. Wade, abortion was illegal and highly discouraged throughout the United States. Women would travel outside of the United States just to obtain a safe abortion. However, many people would have to resort to unsafe abortions, because they could not afford the price of traveling. In the 1950s and 1960s, an estimated 200,000-1.2 million illegal abortions were performed per year. The countless deaths of women sparked a national conversation that changed the abortion debate permanently (Guttmacher).
“In fact, we’ve pointed out in our supplemental brief filed here that there had been something like 1,600 Texas women who have gone to New York City alone for abortions in the first nine months of 1971.”
-Sarah Weddington, Lawyer for Jane Roe