In January of 1973 the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Roe in the landmark case Roe v. Wade, the case of a single pregnant woman who challenged the constitutionality of the state of Texas’s criminal abortion laws. Through examination of evidence and input that led to this outcome, we seek to determine why the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Roe. Though the Supreme Court cited precedent and unconstitutionality in order to justify Roe’s victory in the case, non-institutional actors such as public voice coupled with media projection heavily influenced the 7-2 vote in Roe’s favor.
Over the course of US history, abortion was not uncommon. However, from 1820 to 1868, thirty-six states had passed restrictive abortion laws. In December of 1971, Roe et al. v. Wade, District Attorney of Dallas County, was argued for the first time, this was followed by a reargument in October of 1972 and a Supreme Court decision on January 22, 1973. Roe was an single, pregnant woman seeking …show more content…
According to Robert A. Dahl in his, “Roles of the Supreme Court Symposium, No. 1” a policy decision is “an effective choice among alternatives about which there is, at least initially, some uncertainty.” By this interpretation, the Supreme Court make’s policy influencing decisions daily. This affect is magnified because the Supreme Court uses its own past conclusions to set precedence for future decisions. In Roe v. Wade, Roe’s stance was supported by the ideal that The Right to Due Process included the right to an abortion. The Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth amendment states that a state may not “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” The court used an elastic interpretation of the clause in order to expand it, allowing it to encompass the matter of
Over the course of US history, abortion was not uncommon. However, from 1820 to 1868, thirty-six states had passed restrictive abortion laws. In December of 1971, Roe et al. v. Wade, District Attorney of Dallas County, was argued for the first time, this was followed by a reargument in October of 1972 and a Supreme Court decision on January 22, 1973. Roe was an single, pregnant woman seeking …show more content…
According to Robert A. Dahl in his, “Roles of the Supreme Court Symposium, No. 1” a policy decision is “an effective choice among alternatives about which there is, at least initially, some uncertainty.” By this interpretation, the Supreme Court make’s policy influencing decisions daily. This affect is magnified because the Supreme Court uses its own past conclusions to set precedence for future decisions. In Roe v. Wade, Roe’s stance was supported by the ideal that The Right to Due Process included the right to an abortion. The Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth amendment states that a state may not “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” The court used an elastic interpretation of the clause in order to expand it, allowing it to encompass the matter of