Government
Woman behind Roe v. Wade loses request to have case reopened
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Oct. 4, 2004
The woman at the center of the Roe v. Wade lawsuit that legalized abortion in 1973 cannot have her case re-opened, a panel of judges from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled in September.
Norma McCorvey, who was identified as "Jane Roe" when her initial lawsuit went to trial, changed her opinion on abortion and sought to have the court issue a new ruling based on what is now known about how a baby develops, the change in how society views unwed mothers and studies on the long-term effect of abortions on women.
The court said the request by McCorvey, a Texas resident, is moot because the state statute criminalizing abortion, which was at issue in her original lawsuit, has been repealed. In addition, the court said, there is no evidence that Texas plans to pass another law banning abortion.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/10/04/gvbf1004.htm.
