Supreme Court rulings have an astounding impact on the way of life of millions of Americans each year. They have remarkable power and with that comes with the responsibility to make sound decisions that will influence formerly autonomous states. Five of the most intriguing rulings made were on the National Federation of Independent Businesses versus Sebelius, District of Columbia versus Heller, Roe versus Wade, Citizens United Versus Federal Election Commission and Obergefell versus Hodges. Of the five cases aforementioned, Roe versus Wade had the most impactful ruling in the opinion of the author of this article. Norma McCorvey who was also called Jane Roe to protect her identity at the time was 21 years old when she became pregnant in the state of Texas in 1969 where conservative laws regarding parenthood apply until today (Ginsburg, 1984).
Gender-based categorization and reproductive independence, more specifically anti-abortion laws restricting the practice only to occur when the life of a childbearing mother was pregnant were challenged in this hallmark case. The impact of the decision influenced the role of women in American society by increasing their involvement in politics and socio-economic events. The lawyers Henry Wade were suing the State of Texas through the Supreme Court. The case lasted over three years until its ruling in 1973. The case experienced delays because of the defendants including Jane Roe. The fourteenth amendment was used to rule n favor of Roe citing that Texas law was unconstitutional that infringed upon privacy. The ninth bill was also discussed in the case. The final score of the case was two to three in favor of the defendant, going against over 30 states that formerly banned abortion. Those in approval of the Supreme Court ruling are now referred to as the pro-choice demographic while those who did not accept the verdict are considered to fall under the pro-life category. During the hotly contested 2016 Presidential Campaign, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump talked about the controversial decision and led to swayed voters who increased Trump's advantage over his political rival Hilary. Majority of Americans remain conservative and disapprove of modern, female-oriented views on reproductive health and organizations such as Planned Parenthood bear the brunt of most criticism.
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Women’s rights movements and general affirmative action requests strengthened after the Rove v. Wade ruling (Rubin, 1982). The Supreme Court was recognized as an agent of change despite criticism over the professionalism of the judges who presided over the case. In 1981, the first antiabortionist female Supreme Court judge. That led to further development of community family planning and fertility programs. With the ruling came improved communication and socio-cultural awareness among women. Today, men who identify as feminists have become authorities regarding mental health, obstetrics and gynecological studies in the health sector. Overall, it can be observed that the abortion rate has significantly increased just as the scale of improvement in women’s health.
References
Ginsburg, R. B. (1984). Some thoughts on autonomy and equality in relation to Roe v. Wade. NCL Rev., 63, 375.
Rubin, E. R. (1982). Abortion politics and the courts: Roe v. Wade and its aftermath.
