RBG AND ROE V WADE

HARPER'S BAZAAR

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was an American lawyer, jurist, and advocate who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until she died in 2020. Ginsburg was widely known for her advocacy of gender equality, women's rights, and her impactful work as a member of SCOTUS.

The most significant case she played a role in was Roe v. Wade, a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court that established a woman's legal right to an abortion. The case, which was decided in 1973, still goes back and forth in SCOTUS today. Ginsburg was known as the protector of Roe v Wade and her death caused a lot of worry about the safety of women’s health.

Roe v. Wade was a challenge to a Texas law that prohibited abortions except to save the life of the mother. The plaintiff (the person who brings a case to court), Norma McCorvey, who used the pseudonym Jane Roe in court documents, wanted to have the law declared unconstitutional. She stated that the law violated her constitutional rights to privacy, which included the right to terminate a pregnancy.

Ginsburg was not a member of the Supreme Court at the time of the Roe v. Wade decision, but she was a professor of law and a leading advocate for women's rights. She praised the decision in a 1975 essay, writing that it recognized "...the right of the individual, married or single, to be free from unwarranted governmental intrusion into matters so fundamentally affecting a person as the decision whether to bear or beget a child."

Ginsburg's views on abortion and reproductive rights followed her throughout her career. As one of the few female justices on the Supreme Court (which began in 1993), she became a key defender of Roe v. Wade, protecting women's access to abortion services and women’s healthcare. In 2016, she worked to strike down a Texas law that imposed strict requirements on abortion providers.

Ginsburg's death in September 2020 sparked renewed debate about the future of Roe v. Wade and women's reproductive rights. She was replaced by Justice Amy Coney Barret. Many feared Roe v Wade would be overturned or weakened in the coming years, and just 2 years after her death, the law had been overturned, limiting individuals' access to abortions. The law is protected by the constitution in a few states. (See map below)

Despite the ongoing debates over the validity of the decision, Ginsburg's legacy as a champion of women's rights and gender equality remains secure. Her contributions to American society will continue to be felt for generations to come, and her unwavering commitment to justice continues to inspire future generations of lawyers, activists, and advocates. She is not forgotten or forsaken.

CNN MAY 17TH, 2023