Roe v. Wade was a controversial case because it argued that privacy extends to a woman’s reproductive system. Jane Roe was a Texas citizen who had filed a lawsuit against her state which banned abortion. She did it with the help of her lawyer Sarah Weddington. They lost their lawsuit in the Texas courts, but the US Supreme Court made an opposite decision after debating the case.
The judges in this court accepted part of Sarah Weddington's argument that Texas anti-abortion laws were against the US Constitution, specifically against the XIVth Amendment, which protects the privacy of citizens. In this amendment, it said:
No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. »
In the case of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decided that a state could not deprive a woman of her freedom to make abortion if it does not have consequences for the health of the mother or the baby. The right to privacy ends as soon as it has an impact on other people's lives, their safety, or their freedom.
I hope this helps!
