Do You Know Roe?
When it comes to legal abortion in the United States, most people simply don’t understand the facts. "Abortion has been founded on lies and deception from the very beginning. All I did was lie about how I got pregnant. I was having an affair. It all started out as a little lie. I said what I needed to say. But, my little lie grew and grew and became more horrible with each telling. It was good for the cause. It read well in the newspapers."1
—Norma McCorvey "Jane Roe"
“I am against abortion. I never sought an abortion. I never had an abortion. Abortion is murder. For over 20 years, and against my will, my name has been synonymous with abortion. The Doe vs. Bolton case is based on deceit and fraud. I never participated in this case. The Supreme Court had already made up their minds. They didn’t care what was in the affidavits. I never wanted to be a part of this.”2
—Sandra Cano "Mary Doe"
Did you know Norma McCorvey, the Jane Roe of Roe v Wade, didn’t have an abortion? Or did you know that in the landmark case from 1973 the Court said the government has a right to restrict abortion if it could determine when a child in the womb becomes a person? It’s only in the Doe v. Bolton companion case that the Court orders no limits or restrictions on abortion up to birth.
So What Really Happened? In the early 1970s Norma McCorvey experienced an unplanned pregnancy and sought an illegal abortion. When she failed to obtain one, she sought the help of two attorneys—Sarah Weddinton and Lia Coffee. McCorvey and her attorneys falsely claimed she was gang raped and used her circumstances to challenge an existing Texas law prohibiting abortion. She sued local district attorney Henry Wade seeking an abortion and the case went all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion in all 50 states. It was later revealed that the claim of gang rape was a lie. Sarah Weddinton, the attorney who argued Roe before the Supreme Court later stated, “My behavior may not have been totally ethical. But I did it for what I thought were the right reasons.” 3
At the same time, in Georgia, Sandra Cano... ... (Mary Doe in Doe v. Bolton) had sought the help of Legal Aid Services because she was in an unstable living situation, had a failing marriage and was pregnant with her fourth child. Cano’s attorney convinced her to use National Organization of Women attorneys who implied a custody deal could be reached for her other children if Sandra agreed to seek an abortion for her preborn child. Cano rejected abortion as an option and assumed the legal documents she signed pertained to her custody battle. Instead, Cano was used (without her knowledge) as the plaintiff in a case to enable abortion-on-demand and her case prevailed with the U.S. Supreme Court. In Roe, the Court held there is a right to abortion in the constitution through a right to privacy. It decided a general right to privacy exists under a “penumbra” or an idea inferred by the Bill of Rights. The Doe decision stated women may obtain an abortion after viability to protect a mother’s health, legalizing abortion through all nine months. The irony of it all? Both McCorvey and Cano both gave birth to their children and later petitioned the court to reverse the rulings in their names. What Does Our Country Want? A recent poll found that only 37% of Americans actually want to keep Roe the way it is, while 53% said they want the ruling restricted or even overturned.4
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