roe v wade

Since Roe, Planned Parenthood has provided vital health care and education to more than 25 million women, men, and teens.
Let's put that bond we share, and the power we have, to work in 2011. Volunteer!

On January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its landmark decision, Roe v. Wade, recognizing the constitutional right to privacy and a woman's right to choose abortion. Many of us don't recall the deadly days before Roe when abortions were illegal and "choice" for too many women meant a dangerous back-alley procedure. In fact, in 1965, before Roe, nearly one-fifth of all maternal deaths in the United States were due to illegal, unsafe abortions.

Planned Parenthood continues to fight to make sure the right to choose a safe and legal abortion remains secure for women, regardless of where they live.

Celebrating the 38th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

Here's what Cecile Richards has to say about the past, present, and future of choice.  Watch

As we mark the 38th anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, the importance of protecting women’s access to abortion is as clear as ever. Anti-choice legislators are using the ongoing health care reform debate as an opportunity to severely restrict women’s access to abortion. Anti-choice organizations and lawmakers still aim to overturn Roe v. Wade, but in the absence of their ability to do that at this time, they are working tirelessly to enact restrictive laws and regulations that result in additional barriers to women seeking health care.

Quick Facts - Roe v. Wade:

• January 22, 2011 marks the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion nationwide.
• Planned Parenthood believes that women deserve access to all reproductive health care options. It is our goal to ensure that women have the right to seek and obtain medically safe, legal abortions.
• The ability to control our own fertility is a fundamental human right, and decisions about childbearing should be made by a woman, in consultation with her family, her doctor, and her conscience, not by the government or politicians.
• If Roe v. Wade is overturned, Wisconsin women and their doctors could go to prison for having or performing an abortion. Even in cases of rape and incest or if a woman's health is in danger.

In Roe, the Supreme Court found that a woman's right to decide whether to become a parent deserves the highest level of constitutional protection. The court also recognized that the right to privacy is not absolute and that a state has valid interests in safeguarding maternal health and protecting potential life. According to the court, a state's interest in protecting maternal health is not compelling until the second trimester of pregnancy and its interest in potential life is not "compelling" until viability, the point in pregnancy at which there is a reasonable possibility for the sustained survival of the fetus outside the womb. A state may--but is not required to--prohibit abortion after viability, except when it is necessary to protect a woman's life or health.