Premium Essay

Roe V Wade Summary

Submitted By
Words 745
Pages 3
The introduction begins with Stephen Levitt discussing the rise in crime within the early Nineties. Violent crime was constant, and specialists expected it had been about to go downhill. The media invariably delineated every criminal as a heartless hoodlum and it was heavily insinuated that there was an entire generation of killers behind them.

Crime began to fall, systematically decreasing year after year and the adolescent murder rate fell over 50 % among 5 years. By 2000, the general murder rate was at an all-time low then it had been in thirty-five years. No one expected this.

Seeking to elucidate the drop in criminal behavior, specialists discussed a few of the latest theories, Their speculations were rational, they consisted of ideas like the Nineties economy, regulating laws, and innovative policing methods. …show more content…
He explains the drop in criminal activity began with the young girl Norma McCorvey. She was Poor, uneducated, and unskilled, she had given up 2 kids the year before and had become pregnant once more. Common in other states, abortion was unlawful in Texas. Her case made it to the Supreme Court, she disguised her name, Jane Roe. This became the known Roe v. Wade case.The court ruled in her favor, legalizing abortion throughout the country. Levitt argues that this LED to the crime drop. The legalization of abortion impacted criminal activity a generation later. He states that the poor, uneducated girls who were bound seemingly to be criminals weren't being born.Crime did indeed go down.No crime-drop specialists ever cited legalized abortion as a cause, prior to Levitt.
Levitt then switches to a discussion of the manner we have a tendency to rely on and trust "experts" who have an in informational advantage over the United States of America. We have a tendency to believe that specialists are using this informational advantage to assist U.S. even if that logic does not prove to be

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Roe V. Wade Summary

...opinions. William Rehnquist’s confirmation process was very rough and he had a lot of opposition because of his views that he had expressed at a younger age. Roe v. Wade was about a woman who did not want to have her unborn child, but Texas was very strict about no abortion unless the mother’s life is at risk. Roe v. Wade is significant because it supported abortion and women’s rights. It also gave a woman a choice about what she wanted to do with her life. Justice Blackmun’s opinion made the statement that the government does not have any...

Words: 625 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Aborting Roe V. Wade Summary

...The article, “Aborting Roe: Jane Roe Questions the Viability of Roe v. Wade”, was written by Andrew A. Adams. Mr. Adams is an attorney in Houston, Texas and is on the Board of Directors for the Texas Review of Law and Politics. In this article, Mr. Adams’ discusses the reasons that Norma McCorvey, (formally known as Jane Roe), now wants the Supreme Court’s decision to be overturned regarding a women’s right to have an abortion. Mr. Adams’ creates a thesis in his article that he feels support the reasons why Roe v. Wade should be overturned. Adams’ main thesis and focus regarding this article is that, abortion actually causes more harm to women than good and that the Constitutional basis regarding abortion is political fiction. In the article the author questions at what point is a human life a citizen and when does a human life have a right of its own? The author believes that an unborn child should have the same protection of all other humans....

Words: 805 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Roe V. Wade Case Analysis

...of the United States was created in 1789 by Article III of the Constitution. A key precedent of the Court was established in 1803 through the case of Marbury v. Madison. Since then the Court has ruled on the constitutionality of laws throughout the United States. Two more recent landmark cases are Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey. These cases focused on women’s reproductive rights, such as abortion and a state’s rights to restrict abortions based on the constitutional rights. Roe v. Wade took place in the early 1970’s. The 1960’s were a time of hippies, peace and “flower power.” Going into the 1970’s women were demanding respect and equal rights. (“Roe v. Wade.” United States History) Norma McCorvey, also known as...

Words: 1217 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Abortion Debtes

...Abortion Debates HCM-331 Mount Olive College May 15, 2010 Abortion Abortion is one of the most controversial issues in the United States today that has the ability to provoke debate in the legal, political, medical, ethical, and religious arenas. The passion and emotion behind the debate has polarized the Nation and propelled groups on either side of the issue to bring their stance into the spotlight. Some have worked outside the legal system with a sense of vigilante justice, and others have worked within the legal system to bring about change. As health care administrators, we must be knowledgeable of the issues that are fueling the debate and the current laws regarding those issues. Before discussing the laws regarding abortion, definitions vital to the understanding of the laws are necessary. These include fetus, gestation, trimester, quickening, and viability. Medically, a fetus is the unborn entity after the eighth week of development when brain activity becomes detectable, but legally, this term is used in the discussion of abortion as the unborn entity throughout the entire gestation. Gestation being the period of time the fetus develops in the mother’s uterus, which is usually 40 weeks. The forty weeks are sub-divided into trimesters. The first trimester ends after the 12th week, the second ends around the 26th week, and the third trimester ends with birth. Quickening takes place sometime between the thirteenth and twentieth weeks and does the...

Words: 3063 - Pages: 13

Free Essay

Roe V. Wade

...ROE v. WADE 410 U.S. 113 (1973) STATEMENT OF THE CASE: The Procedural Road from State Courts to the Supreme Court Appeal: In 1970, Norma McCorvey, a pregnant single woman, sought to terminate her pregnancy however, she was unable to do so because in her home state of Dallas, Texas, abortion was illegal with the exception of extreme cases of medical necessity, not applicable to her. McCorvey, using the name “Jane Roe” as an alias, filed suit at the district level against Henry Wade, the District Attorney for Dallas County, Texas, challenging the constitutionality of the Texas state laws prohibiting abortions and seeking an injunction against its enforcement, (in other words, the Appellant asked the court to forbid the district attorney from prosecuting anyone else under the Texas abortion law in the future). The district court ruled in favor of McCorvey, but ultimately failed to resolve the matter in a practical sense by refusing to issue an injunction to prevent the existing legislation from being enforced. Due to the district court’s refusal to enjoin future prosecutions for abortion, Roe and her attorneys appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court and the case was granted certiorari. By the time the case reached the Supreme Court, however, McCorvey had already given birth, but the Court entertained the case anyway, reasoning that if the traditional standards of mootness and the exclusion of advisory opinions were upheld, no pregnant Plaintiff could ever successfully litigate...

Words: 1358 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

War on the Unborn

...Table of Contents Introduction……………………………………...……………………………………….…1 Beginning of Life……………………………………………………..…………………....1 Number of Deaths Attributed to Abortion…………………………........................1-2 Abortion Methods…………………………………………....………………...………..2-3 Conclusion…………………...……………………………………………………………..3 Works Cited………………………………………………………………………………....4 War on the Unborn When does life begin for human beings? Is it upon conception or once we are birthed into the world from the mother's womb? Abortion has been a very controversial subject since the early twentieth century. It is not about whether it is legal or illegal; it is about morality and the right to live regardless of the situation. Many people base their opinions about abortion on feeling and religion but there are many scientific facts that abortion is the killing of a human life; therefore, abortion is immoral and unethical. It has been proven that life begins upon conception. According to Stephanie Watson's article "How Pregnancy Works", "The sperm and egg merge to form a little single-celled organism called a zygote, which consists of the 23 chromosomes for the man's sperm and the 23 chromosomes from the female's egg. These chromosomes will determine the baby's hair color, eye color and whether the baby will be a boy or girl." An American Life League article titled "Abortion" goes on to explain that by the first week "implantation into his mother's uterus begins and all the while...

Words: 1112 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Abortions

...it can prove that an embryo or fetus is a person. Abortion has been legal in every U.S. state since 1973. When the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade (1973) that women have the right to make medical decisions about their own bodies. Roe v. Wade is a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of abortion. Decided simultaneously with a companion case, Doe v. Bolton, the Court ruled that a right to privacy under the due process clause of the 14th Amendment extended to a woman's decision to have an abortion, but that right must be balanced against the state's two legitimate interests in regulating abortions: protecting prenatal life and protecting women's health. Arguing that these state interests became stronger over the course of a pregnancy, the Court resolved this balancing test by tying state regulation of abortion to the trimester of pregnancy. The Court later rejected Roe's trimester framework, while affirming Roe's central holding that a person has a right to abortion until viability. The Roe decision defined "viable" as being potentially able to live outside the mother's womb, albeit with artificial aid", adding that viability "is usually placed at about seven months (28 weeks) but may occur earlier, even at 24 weeks. In disallowing many state and federal restrictions on abortion in the United States, Roe v. Wade prompted a national debate that continues today, about issues including whether and to what extent abortion should be legal, who should...

Words: 975 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Abortion

...the two separate parties of opinion. The arguments between pro-life and pro-choice supporters have been long and can be very violent. This argument will continue to go on for years, but based on your opinion there are legitimate arguments for both sides. It all depends on personal opinion whether or not each side can say with certainty that the other one is wrong. The two sides to abortion are pro-life and pro-choice, and this is an issue that politicians face in every election, and it plays a big role in how many citizens decide on who they are going to vote for in the election. The many court cases that involved abortion have influenced United States history in a big way. These court cases include: Stenberg v. Carhart, Roe v. Wade, and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Abortion in the United States has been banned and legalized throughout the history of this country, and the interest groups involving this topic have had many heated arguments throughout the years, and continue to have them today. Abortion is the voluntary termination of a pregnancy, resulting in the death of the fetus or embryo (Gill). Abortion is a topic that has been around for a long time, and is something that has been debated in just about every society. Abortion has been a part of the United States history since the U.S. was founded. Abortion was legal in the early history of the United States, but did not last for long. In the 1820s abortion was banned in the U.S., but this did not stop illegal...

Words: 3827 - Pages: 16

Premium Essay

Public's Conditional Response to Supreme Court Decisions

...Review & Summary: The article that I am reviewing is “ The Public’s Conditional Response to Supreme Court Decisions” (Johnson & Martin 1998). This article specifically speaks to answer, whether the Court affects public attitudes when it makes decisions or initial rulings on a salient issue or subsequent decisions on the same issue. Johnson allows us to investigate the effect of the Supreme Court on public opinion, which offers the conditional response hypothesis based on the theory of Supreme Court legitimacy, and a micro-level social-psychological theory of attitude formation through his writing. To test this prediction Johnson analyzes public opinion data before and after the Supreme Court ruled in a highly visible abortion case (Roe v. Wade 1973), along with three key capital punishment rulings. (Furman v. Georgia 1972, Gregg v. Georgia 1976 & McCleskey v. Kemp 1987) When the Supreme Court made decisions, the public simply accepted them as legitimate. The reasoning behind this is simply because the Supreme Court is seen as the ultimate arbiter of the law. The model used by both Johnson and Martin (1998) is based upon two different theories. The first, since the public generally views the Court as a highly credible institution, individuals are more likely to clearly elaborate their attitudes toward an issue after a ruling. When the court makes its first major decision on a particular, the structure of public opinion changes in a manner consistent with...

Words: 3732 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

Law Case Study

...PHC6420 Spring 2013 Dated: Summary of Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey (1992). In 1973 Roe v. Wade created a political and legal uproar on issue of abortion. Under due process clause of the 14th Amendment, which declares that “no State shall deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law”. This due process of law has not been completely understood though court has spent years of defining redefining each component of due process clause. Women’s decision to have abortion before viability of fetus and to obtain it without interference from State .Interest of State to protect prenatal life and create hurdles for Women’s right to choose the procedure though few exceptions were considered where life of women and fetus after viability was in danger. This was challenged that states involvement in whole pregnancy process was not right and therefore court ordered involvement of state limited to trimester of pregnancy. This was argued too and later courts rejected trimester involvement and supported the fact that women has right to terminate abortion till fetus is viable The exact definition of viability became big controversy and this prompted a debate in entire nation and is still going on even today whether abortion should be legalized, who should decide the legality of the abortions, how much should be the state involved, what are the moral and ethical views regarding this issue. This controversy divided nation into pro-choice...

Words: 2070 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Ruw Wade

...ROE V WADE DR. BRUCE FARCAU Abortion was illegal until Jane roe sue the state of Texas and won then all fifty states abortion laws was overturn by the supreme court that make it legal to have abortion. In 1970 Jane roe find that she was pregnant and wanted to have an abortion but it was illegal in the state of Texas, so she sue the state under an alias affidavit with the district court with her inability to obtain an abortion legally in the state of Texas. The courts heard argument twice on the matter before making their final ruling in 1973. In 1973 abortion became legal by the supreme court with a seven to two ruling with justice Harry Blackmun writing the decision for the majority. The decision written by justice was based on a residual right to privacy. This decision was also base on two cases , one reform Texas where abortion was illegal and can only be perform when the mother’s life is at risk and the other in Georgia were the mother have to get the permission from doctors and the hospital board while establishing the right of an abortion. This give the state the right to intervene in the second and third trimester of pregnancy to protect the life of the mother and the unborn child. Denounce by the national council...

Words: 3293 - Pages: 14

Free Essay

File

...Summary “Privacy is something cherished by almost all Americans. It is the right to live life without the government prying into what we done right to be let alone. Privacy allows us to develop into individuals with our own thoughts, beliefs, hopes, and dreams. It permits us to decide how to live our lives in our own homes. Privacy allows adults to decide who to marry, whether to have children, and how to raise a family. The right to privacy restricts how the government can investigate our lives.” – Ellen Alderman Today, when voyeurs, marketers, and the curious are invading so many aspects of what has traditionally been considered the individual's inviolate personal domain, this book is a God- send in helping us understand what it is we have with the right to privacy, and also in helping us to focus on what is so much at risk. While the word "privacy" appears nowhere in our Constitution, a majority of Americans fervently believe that their right to privacy is a key element which is central to the way they live their public and personal lives, and that it is also key to the viability of the democratic system. Given the fact that it is a somewhat abstract, ambiguous, and difficult idea to define, privacy is indeed seen as being a critical and irreplaceable basic right of individuals. For example, the freedoms of expression and religion in the First Amendment protect the right to have private thoughts and ideas. The Fourth Amendment says the government...

Words: 2131 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Hlth410: Unit 4 Individual Project

... Legal and Moral Stance of Abortion Abortion is a very touchy subject, not only here in Texas, but pretty much everywhere. Some will say it is moral, some will say it is immoral. As a healthcare provider, I feel abortion is immoral all the way, and that even though it is legal here in the state of Texas, it should be illegal. If I were actually a healthcare provider, this could potentially create challenges in a healthcare setting. Although the amount of abortions has decreased during the 1990s, there are still about 1.2 million legal abortions each year (Fremgen, 2012). Here in Texas, three very significant laws have been passed since Roe vs. Wade. In the late 1980s, abortions that were done in the last trimester were outlawed, which put an end to the alternative left behind from this particular decision. Following Roe vs. Wade, in 1977, a law was passed that protected any health care provider that both refused to participate as well as those that participated in abortions. Private facilities did not have any legal obligations to do abortions except if the mother’s life was in danger (Abortion Laws in Texas, n.d.). During 1985, the Texas Abortion Facility Reporting and Licensing Act decided that every abortion facility has to record the following data regarding every patient every twelve months: if the facility is licensed the mother’s birth date, lineage, if they are married, where the patient resides, which kind of abortion was done, date of procedure, how patient...

Words: 654 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Roe vs Wade

...However even with laws against abortion there were still woman who tried to illegally get one. Near the end of 1971 a Texan woman, Jane Roe, challenged the Texan abortion law saying that it was unconstitutional with it being invasion of privacy that is guaranteed in the Amendments, mainly in the Ninth and Fourteenth. The Ninth Amendment states that we may have rights that aren’t directly stated in the Constitution that exist and although it is not stated it doesn’t mean they can be violated; which could mean that as citizens we have rights that the government can’t deny us even though it may not be said in the Constitution. The Fourteenth Amendment guarantees all citizens their rights on both the federal and state level. The closest case to this case at the time was the 1965 case of Griswold vs. Connecticut that dealt with the issue of use of contraceptives and the right of privacy whether a married couple could use them or not. This case turned from being about abortion to a person’s right to privacy similar to the Griswold case. When the case was first filed it was in the U.S. District Court in Texas where the court ruled in Roe’s favor for her merits because it violated her right to privacy but did not do anything to change the abortion laws. The ruling was based on the Ninth Amendment and the rulings from the Griswold case. Although Roe initially won in the district won, she was not satisfied because the abortion laws were still intact so her attorneys made an appeal to...

Words: 535 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Should Abortion Be Legal

...the uterus in order to end a pregnancy. Abortion is one of the most controversial issues around and it will remain an issue that will never be agreed upon. The issue of morals has been put into the question of whether it should be legal to have an abortion thus elevating the subject to a higher level. Some people no longer look at abortion as a question of choice but as a question of morality, and these perceptions have led to a full-blown debate over something that should not be questioned. A single pregnant woman brought a class action suit that challenged the Texas law that prohibited abortions except when medically advised with the purpose of saving the mother’s life. Roe was the single mother in this case and Henry Wade was one of the attorneys that argued the case in Texas’s defense.   Roe vs. Wade was first argued in the Supreme Court on December 13, 1971, was reargued in October 11, 1972 and again on January 22, 1973 when it was acknowledged that Roe’s ninth and 14th amendment rights had been insignificant and invalid. The Court found that the 14th Amendment’s pledges of personal liberties and previous...

Words: 2349 - Pages: 10