Today is Friday, January 22nd, 2021.

On this day in 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court arrived at a landmark decision, establishing a woman's legal right to an abortion.

Welcome to Today in True Crime, a Spotify original from Parkast. Due to the graphic nature of medical procedures discussed,

listener discretion is advised.

We advise extreme caution for listeners under 13. Today we're covering

Roe v. Wade, which altered the legal ruling on female reproductive rights. It's still considered

to be one of the most controversial rulings ever handed down by the Supreme Court.

On the brisk morning of January 22, 1973, two young attorneys climbed the steps

to the Marble Palace in Washington, D.C.

27-year-old Sarah Weddington and 30-year-old Linda

Coffey had both graduated from the University of Texas Law School in the 1960s. Now they were

awaiting a conclusion to one of the most contentious legal cases the U.S. had seen because it

addressed the topic of abortion. By the early 70s, nearly all U.S. had seen because it addressed the topic of abortion. By the early 70s,

nearly all U.S. states restricted the termination of pregnancy, barring cases in which the mother

had been raped or faced severe health risks in keeping the child. At the time, unwanted pregnancies

were common, largely because the pill was widely stigmatized.

Access was limited in many states, especially for unmarried women, who weren't protected under the Supreme Court's

1965 ruling in Griswold v. Connecticut. In their decision, the justices said states could not ban contraception

for married couples. A young woman named Norma McCorvey felt the consequences of these restrictive

laws. By age 21, she had already gotten pregnant three times. The first time she kept her child,

but her mother eventually took custody. The second time she kept her child, but her mother eventually took custody.

The second time, she immediately gave the baby up for adoption. The third time, she simply

...