Roe v. Wade was a landmark United States Supreme Court case in 1973 that dealt with the right to privacy and the legality of abortion. The case was brought by Norma McCorvey, using the pseudonym "Jane Roe," who sought to obtain an abortion in Texas, where abortion was illegal except in cases where the mother's life was in danger.
The Court ruled in a 7-2 decision that the Constitution's Due Process Clause, which protects the right to privacy, encompasses a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy. The Court held that this right was not absolute and must be balanced against the state's interest in protecting the health of the mother and the potential life of the fetus.
The specific piece of the U.S. Constitution that the Court used was the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause, which states that no state shall "deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." The Court interpreted the right to privacy implied in this clause to include the right to terminate a pregnancy.