In Roe et al. v. Wade District Attorney of Dallas County 1973, one of the most controversial cases in recent history, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down all state laws that limit a woman"s right to an abortion during the first three months of pregnancy. Justices Rehnquist and White dissented. Mr. Justice Blackmun delivered the opinion of the Court.... This Texas federal appeal and its Georgia companion, Doe v. Bolton, post, p. 179, present constitutional challenges to state criminal abortion legislation. The Texas statutes under attack here are typical of those that have been in effect in many States for...
whether or not to terminate her pregnancy." Blackmun went on to say that the right to an abortion is not unqualified and must be balanced against the state"s interest in regulation. He outlined what the states might and might not do. During the first trimester of pregnancy the states might not proscribe abortions but could regulate abortion procedures to protect maternal health. After that the states might regulate or even prohibit abortions subject to appropriate medical judgment. The decision aroused nationwide controversy. The Court has several times approved states" procedural restrictions, but in 1992 it reaffirmed Roe"s basic rule.