In the landmark case of Roe v. Wade (1973), the U.S. Supreme Court made a monumental decision affirming a woman's legal right to have an abortion. This case arose when "Jane Roe," a pseudonym for Norma McCorvey, challenged Texas laws prohibiting most abortions. The Supreme Court ruled that the right to privacy, under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, extends to a woman's decision to terminate her pregnancy. The decision legalizes abortion nationwide, grounding it in the constitutional right to privacy while also establishing a trimester framework to balance state interests with a woman’s rights. This ruling has had a lasting impact on reproductive rights and ongoing legal debates.