Roe v. Wade: An Explainer

The U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision of 1973 ruled that a right to abortion was protected under the Due Process Clause of the U.S. Constitution’s Fourteenth Amendment. On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, holding that the Court’s 1973 ruling was incorrect.

This publication provides a brief overview of what Roe did, what happens now that it has been overturned, and what codifying it into federal law would mean. It also addresses the question of whether overturning Roe was undemocratic.

 

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