Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton were critical Supreme Court cases that addressed the legality of abortion in the United States. Roe v. Wade originated from a Texas law that criminalized most abortions. 'Jane Roe,' an alias for Norma McCorvey, challenged this law, arguing that it was unconstitutional. Meanwhile, Doe v. Bolton came from Georgia, where a law required that abortions could only be performed under strict criteria, including health concerns. Both cases were argued before the Supreme Court in the early 1970s, and the decisions were announced on January 22, 1973.

In a 7-2 ruling for Roe v. Wade, Justice Harry Blackmun wrote that the Texas statute was unconstitutional, emphasizing the right to privacy. The ruling effectively legalized elective abortion across the nation, establishing that states could not impose excessive restrictions on a woman’s decision during the first trimester of pregnancy. Similarly, the Court ruled in Doe v. Bolton that Georgia's restrictive abortion law was unconstitutional, further reinforcing a woman's right to choose. These rulings created a significant change in how reproductive rights were perceived and legislated in the United States.

The decisions were based on the premise that personal privacy is a fundamental right and included considerations of women's health in the second and third trimesters. The rulings ignited widespread public debate and activism, as they sealed the divisions between those advocating for reproductive rights and those opposing them. The Court's landmark decisions laid the groundwork for ongoing legal battles and political discourse surrounding abortion rights in America, establishing frameworks that would be scrutinized and challenged for decades to come.