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Roe V Wade

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The Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case was based on a woman’s right to have an abortion. At the time of the case it was illegal for women in the state of Texas to have an abortion unless the life of the mother was in danger. The 7-2 ruling allows a woman have an abortion as long as she is within the first trimester of her pregnancy. “The Court found that the 14th Amendment's guarantees of liberty and previous decisions protecting privacy in family matters included a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy” (Prochoice). Along with this case the courts also addressed the state's interest in the life of the fetus. The courts divided pregnancy into thirds. This allowed an abortion at the first trimester but gives the state the power to make laws if abortion can be allowed in the second trimester. It also put regulations on the third trimester allowing for abortion only in medical emergencies where the mother’s life would be in danger. This case has made a large impact in America. It not only gives women the right to have an abortion, but also the benefits of having a safe medical procedure. The importance of this case cannot be over looked. "In 1965, abortion was so unsafe that 17 percent of all deaths due to pregnancy and childbirth were the result of illegal abortion' (Gold, 1999). Many women at the time had to seek black market abortions. These women had abortions done by unlicensed physicians and some even tried to perform the procedure themselves. Since Roe v. Wade, women are now able to choose to have an abortion. It's now medically safe for them to have this procedure done and women no longer have to perform illegal abortions. "Today, abortion is one of the most commonly performed clinical procedures, and fewer than 0.3 percent of women undergoing legal abortion procedures sustain a serious complication" (Boonstra 2006). If not for Roe v. Wade, women may still

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