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Roe vs. Wade
Granted women the right to terminate pregnancies through abortion under different circumstances. -
Bellotti vs Baird
Supreme Court rules that pregnant minors can petition court for permission to have an abortion without parental notification. -
Webster vs. Reproductive Health Services
A law in Washington State declaring that "life begins at conception"; and barring the use of public facilities for abortions is found unconstitutional. It marks the first time the Supreme Court does not explicitly reaffirm Roe vs. Wade. -
Planned Parenthood vs. Casey
the court reaffirms Roes core holding that states may not ban abortions or interfere with a womans decision to have an abortion. The court does uphold mandatory 24-hour waiting periods and parental-consent laws. -
Norma McCorvey Regrets Roe vs Wade
Norma didn't have an abortion because the court ruling came too late, is befriended by the national director of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, who baptizes her upon her conversion to Christianity. McCorvey declares that she is pro-life and regrets her role in the landmark case. -
Partial Birth Abortions
The abortion debate shifts to state bans on "partial-birth abortions" which generally include late-term abortions performed with the "dilation and evacuation" method. -
Stenberg v. Carhart
ruled against the ban on partial-birth abortions by Nebraska law. The ruling on this case by the Supreme Court eliminated 29 other statewide bans. -
Ban on Abortion
After passed by Congress, President Bush signed into law a federal ban on all abortion procedures, which was immediately struck down by the National Abortion Federation in court.