{"id":54760,"date":"2023-03-24T12:51:06","date_gmt":"2023-03-24T17:51:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-legal\/supreme\/supreme-court-insights\/could-roe-v-wade-be-overturned-.html"},"modified":"2023-03-24T12:51:06","modified_gmt":"2023-03-24T17:51:06","slug":"could-roe-v-wade-be-overturned-","status":"publish","type":"supreme","link":"https:\/\/supreme.findlaw.com\/supreme-court-insights\/could-roe-v-wade-be-overturned-.html","title":{"rendered":"Why Was Roe v. Wade Overturned?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Why Was Roe v. Wade Overturned?<\/h1>\n
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\n By Laura Temme, Esq.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Bridget Molitor, JD<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

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Despite the controversy surrounding it, Roe v. Wade<\/i> was the law of the land regarding abortion for nearly 50 years. Other cases modified the standards laid out in Roe.<\/i> But in 2022, the United States Supreme Court decided to overturn it entirely.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n

Roe v. Wade<\/a><\/i>\u00a0is arguably one of the most famous Supreme Court cases of all time. It established the right to abortion\u00a0as a matter of privacy<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/i>has remained at the forefront of American politics. Supporters of the decision held it up as a beacon for women’s independence and equality. Critics viewed it as an overreach by the Supreme Court.<\/p>\r\n

The Supreme Court cannot return to the same case and change its mind. And the legal doctrine of\u00a0stare decisis<\/i>\u00a0\u2014 Latin for “let the decision stand”\u2014 means later court members are often reluctant to explicitly overturn prior rulings. However, the principle of\u00a0stare decisis<\/i>\u00a0is not legally binding or uniformly applied.<\/p>\r\n

For many years, a complete overturn of\u00a0Roe v. Wade<\/i>\u00a0seemed unlikely. But\u00a0abortion rights<\/a>\u00a0changed through subsequent decisions, even without a complete overturn. In the decades following\u00a0Roe<\/i>, several cases upheld the decision while also modifying standards related to abortion. That’s why so many states continued to pass laws contradicting the standards laid out in\u00a0Roe v. Wade<\/i>. One such challenge out of Mississippi made it to the Supreme Court in 2022, leading to the\u00a0shocking overturn of\u00a0Roe v. Wade<\/i><\/a>.<\/p>\r\n \"Map\n\n\n

Image description<\/i>: The image above shows a map of the United States and uses different shades of blue to indicate different levels of protection of abortion rights. Visit FindLaw’s Learn About the Law to learn more about state abortion laws<\/a> following the overturn of\u00a0Roe v. Wade<\/i>.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Cases that Upheld\u00a0Roe<\/i><\/h2>\r\n

The Supreme Court upheld Roe v. Wade<\/i>\u00a0in three prominent cases:<\/p>\r\n