Since 1973 abortion has been an important controversial issue to the United States. The problem begins with should it be a women's choice whether or not to terminate her pregnancy or should it be the Governments choice. The Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court Case of 1973 ruled that state laws that criminalize abortion are unconstitutional.
Jane Roe, a single woman who was living in Dallas County, Texas, sued the District Attorney of the county. She believed that the Texas criminal abortion laws were unconstitutional. Roe alleged that she was unmarried and pregnant; that she wished to terminate her pregnancy by an abortion performed by a competent, licensed physician, under safe clinical conditions. The problem was that she was unable to get a "legal" abortion in Texas because her life did not appear to be threatened by her pregnancy; and that she could not afford to travel to another area in order to secure a legal abortion under safe conditions. She claimed that the Texas laws were unconstitutional and that they terminated her right of personal privacy protected by the First, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendments. Roe decided to sue on behalf of her self and all other women in the same situation as hers. .
The ruling was on January 22, 1973. The decision legalized the right to an abortion in all 50 states and sparked a political debate that remains charged to this day. The courts concluded that the right of personal privacy includes the abortion decision, but that this right is not unqualified and must be considered against important state interests in regulation. .
The abortion issue doesn't stop there. There have been disputed ever since this court case regarding abortion. The two main groups that are related to abortion are the Pro Choice group, and the Pro Life group. Two examples of these groups are in appendix 2. People who are Pro Choice believe that it is the women's right to choose whether or not to abort the growing fetus.