The Supreme Court Decision of Roe vs Wade It has been over a quarter of a century since the Supreme Court made it’s controversial ruling in the case of Roe vs Wade. From that day forth, that ruling changed the lives of many, and still has repercussions that affect people everywhere. On January 22, 1973 the court “declared that a woman has a constitutional right to an abortion” (Kaplan 49). Jane Roe vs Henry Wade was a case that was more than just the right to an abortion, this was about women’s rights and privacy issues. Jane Roe was an alias for a Texas woman who wanted an abortion,