What 1973 Supreme Court case legalized abortion in the United States?

In a pivotal decision issued in 1973, the United States Supreme Court profoundly reshaped the landscape of reproductive rights by establishing a constitutional right to abortion. This landmark case, involving "Jane Roe" (an alias for Norma McCorvey) against Dallas County District Attorney Henry Wade, challenged a Texas law that criminalized abortion except when necessary to save the mother's life. The Court's ruling invalidated this and similar state laws, making abortion legal nationwide.

The Court, in a 7-2 decision, held that a woman's right to an abortion fell within the right to privacy protected by the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause. This right to privacy, while not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, had been recognized in previous cases concerning personal decisions like marriage and contraception. The majority opinion, penned by Justice Harry Blackmun, asserted that the state's interest in protecting potential human life became compelling only at the point of fetal viability, generally considered to be around 24 to 28 weeks of pregnancy.

To balance the woman's privacy rights with the state's interests, the Court established a trimester framework. During the first trimester, the decision to have an abortion was left entirely to the woman and her physician. In the second trimester, states could regulate abortions to protect maternal health. In the third trimester, once the fetus reached viability, states could regulate or even prohibit abortions, except when necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother. This ruling had a massive impact, transforming abortion access across the country and sparking decades of intense legal and political debate over reproductive freedom.