what was roe vs wade

Roe v. Wade is a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling that recognized the right to abortion. The case was filed in 1970 by Jane Roe, an unmarried pregnant woman, who challenged Texas abortion laws that criminalized abortion except when necessary to save the life of the mother. The Supreme Courts decision in 1973 recognized that the decision whether to continue or end a pregnancy belongs to the individual, not the government. The Court held that the United States Constitution provides a fundamental "right to privacy" that protects a persons right to choose whether to have an abortion. However, the Court also ruled that the right to abortion is not absolute and must be balanced against the governments interests in protecting health and prenatal life. The ruling in Roe v. Wade was critical to advancing gender equality in educational, economic, and political spheres. The Supreme Court notably revisited Roe v. Wade in 1992 when reviewing Planned Parenthood v. Casey, where it once again upheld a pregnant persons right to choose abortion. However, the Court changed the framework created in Roe and created a standard based on "fetal viability". In 2022, the Supreme Court officially reversed Roe v. Wade, declaring that the constitutional right to abortion, upheld for nearly a half-century, no longer exists.