Roe v. Wade There really can't be a discussion about being pro-life or the pro-life movement without first discussing Roe v. Wade. This monumental Supreme Court case, decided more than forty years ago, is what put the pro-life, pro-choice debate front and center. Some have even claimed that the two sides are “trapped in a violent and deadly war” (Tomlin, 1994, 423). With the decision, pro-lifers now opposed the status quo, while still placing “pro-choicers within established law” (Vanderford, 1989, 167). The case originally originated four years before the final decision in 1973. Norma McCorvey, aka Jane Roe, was the anonymous plaintiff in this case. She had become pregnant and was unable to obtain an illegal abortion. McCorvey was referred to two young Texas female lawyers who eventually prosecuted the case in 1969, when they decided to challenge Texas' abortion ban (Munson, 2009, 83). Initially the advocates just wanted Texas to loosen its abortion laws. Many other states during this time period had already liberalized their state abortion laws, and Texas was just trying to follow. They filed a federal class action lawsuit against a local district attorney named Henry Wade. The lawsuit was filed on the grounds that the Texas law banning abortion was unconstitutional. The initial response from the federal court that had jurisdiction over Texas was mixed. The lawyers appealed to the Supreme Court, and oral arguments began in 1971. The Supreme Court issued its decision on January 22, 1973. The decision was 7-2 and surprised many Americans by eliminating “restrictions on first-trimester abortions” (Freeman, 2009, 25). Essentially the highest…middle of paper…ade,” accessed 22 February 2014. http://rt.com/usa/state-abortion-restrictions-unprecedented-108/ Shields, Jon A 2013. “L Roe's pro-life legacy." First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life (229): 22. Tomlin, Christopher W. 1994. "The Reign of Terror: The Judiciary's Failure to Stop Anti-Violence abortion forces Congress back to the drawing board." Law and Psychology Review 18: 423-39. Vanderford, Marsha L. 1989. “Denigration and Social Movements: A Case Study in Pro-Life and Pro-Choice Rhetoric.” Quarterly Journal of Speech 75 (2): 166. Wardle, Lynn D. 1985. “Rethinking Roe v. Wade." Brigham Young University Law Review 1985 (2): 231. World Tribune. 2014. “How the pro-life movement is winning over American hearts and minds.” Accessed March 19, 2014. http://www.worldtribune .com/2014/01/25/how-the-pro-life-movement-is-thinking-american-hearts-and-minds/