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| Roe v Wade abortion ruling turns 40 amid demonstrations | Roe v Wade abortion ruling turns 40 amid demonstrations |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Activists on either side of the US abortion debate are marking the 40th anniversary of a landmark Supreme Court ruling establishing abortion rights. | Activists on either side of the US abortion debate are marking the 40th anniversary of a landmark Supreme Court ruling establishing abortion rights. |
| The 1973 Roe v Wade case, which granted women's right to abortion, remains deeply controversial in the US. | The 1973 Roe v Wade case, which granted women's right to abortion, remains deeply controversial in the US. |
| Anti-abortion activists rallied in Tuesday in Kansas, which has recently limited access to abortion. | Anti-abortion activists rallied in Tuesday in Kansas, which has recently limited access to abortion. |
| A new poll suggests that for the first time, most Americans believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases. | A new poll suggests that for the first time, most Americans believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases. |
| Fifty-four percent of adults say abortion should be legal either always or most of the time, according to the NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey. | Fifty-four percent of adults say abortion should be legal either always or most of the time, according to the NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey. |
| Seven out of 10 respondents oppose overturning Roe v Wade, the survey said. | Seven out of 10 respondents oppose overturning Roe v Wade, the survey said. |
| The National Organization for Women, which supports abortion rights, planned a candlelight vigil in front of the Supreme Court on Wednesday, and other pro-choice groups held a protest at the Virginia state capitol in Richmond. | The National Organization for Women, which supports abortion rights, planned a candlelight vigil in front of the Supreme Court on Wednesday, and other pro-choice groups held a protest at the Virginia state capitol in Richmond. |
| 'All about life' | |
| Meanwhile, anti-abortion activists demonstrated at the state capital in Kansas, a hotbed of anti-abortion politics. | Meanwhile, anti-abortion activists demonstrated at the state capital in Kansas, a hotbed of anti-abortion politics. |
| Republican Kansas Governor Sam Brownback has passed measures over the last two years to restrict access to abortions. | |
| "Life is what it's all about," Mr Brownback told protesters at a rally in Topeka, href="http://cjonline.com/news/2013-01-22/40-years-after-roe-v-wade-brownback-rallies-capitol" >the Topeka Capital-Journal newspaper reported. | |
| "That's why we need you to continue to push and to march and to pray and to work in pro-life centres. We're not going to stop fighting until we get life for everybody." | |
| Mr Brownback is expected to support any further curbs on abortion approved by lawmakers in the state's legislature, which is dominated by his party. | |
| President Barack Obama, meanwhile, said the Roe v Wade anniversary was an opportunity to "recommit" to supporting abortion rights. | |
| "We reaffirm [the decision's] historic commitment to protect the health and reproductive freedom of women across this country and stand by its guiding principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters, and women should be able to make their own choices about their bodies and their healthcare," he said in a statement released by the White House. | |
| The Supreme Court's decision on Roe v Wade established that the US Constitution's right to privacy applied to abortion. | The Supreme Court's decision on Roe v Wade established that the US Constitution's right to privacy applied to abortion. |
| The case was named for "Jane Roe", a pseudonym for Norma McCorvey, and Henry Wade, who was then attorney general for Dallas, Texas. | The case was named for "Jane Roe", a pseudonym for Norma McCorvey, and Henry Wade, who was then attorney general for Dallas, Texas. |
| Restrictions allowed | |
| McCorvey was a single mother, pregnant for the third time, who wanted to terminate her pregnancy. | McCorvey was a single mother, pregnant for the third time, who wanted to terminate her pregnancy. |
| She sued over a Texas law that banned abortion except in cases of rape, incest or danger to the mother's life. | She sued over a Texas law that banned abortion except in cases of rape, incest or danger to the mother's life. |
| A doctor, James Hallford, filed a complaint alongside Jane Roe, arguing that the law's provisions were unclear, making it hard to tell whether a patient was eligible for an abortion under the terms of the law. | A doctor, James Hallford, filed a complaint alongside Jane Roe, arguing that the law's provisions were unclear, making it hard to tell whether a patient was eligible for an abortion under the terms of the law. |
| The case ended up in the Supreme Court, which ruled seven to two to overturn the Texas law. The justices' decision favoured Jane Roe, but was partially against the doctor. | The case ended up in the Supreme Court, which ruled seven to two to overturn the Texas law. The justices' decision favoured Jane Roe, but was partially against the doctor. |
| In a separate decision on the same day, the Supreme Court gave states the right to restrict abortion access for later-term pregnancies. | In a separate decision on the same day, the Supreme Court gave states the right to restrict abortion access for later-term pregnancies. |
| In other cases since then, the Supreme Court has given states broad leeway to restrict abortion, including mandating waiting periods and tightly regulating how abortion providers practice. |