Biography of Norma McCorvey, Roe in Roe v. Wade

Biography of Norma McCorvey, 'Roe' in Roe v. Wade Norma McCorvey (September 22, 1947–February 18, 2017) was a young pregnant woman in Texas in 1970 without the means or funds to have an abortion. She became the plaintiff known as Jane Roe in Roe v. Wade, which was decided in 1973 and became one of the most famous Supreme Court decisions of the 20th century. McCorveys identity was hidden for another decade but, during the 1980s, the public learned about the plaintiff whose lawsuit struck down most abortion laws in the United States. In 1995, McCorvey made news again when she declared she had changed to a pro-life stance, with newfound Christian beliefs. Fast Facts: Norma McCorvey Known For: She was Roe in the famous Supreme Court abortion case Roe. v. Wade.Also Known As: Norma Leah Nelson, Jane RoeBorn: Sept. 22, 1947 in Simmesport, LouisianaParents: Mary and Olin NelsonDied: Feb. 18, 2017 in Katy, TexasPublished Works: I Am Roe (1994), Won by Love (1997)Spouse: Elwood McCorvey (m.  1963–1965)Children: Melissa (Nothing is publicly known of the two children McCorvey gave up for adoption.)Notable Quote: â€Å"I wasn’t the wrong person to become Jane Roe. I wasn’t the right person to become Jane Roe. I was just the person who became Jane Roe, of Roe v. Wade. And my life story, warts and all, was a little piece of history.† Early Years McCorvey was born on Sept. 22, 1947, as Norma Nelson to Mary and Olin Nelson. McCorvey ran away from home at one point and, after returning, was sent to reform school. After the family moved to Houston, her parents divorced when she was 13. McCorvey suffered abuse, met and married Elwood McCorvey at age 16, and left Texas for California. When she returned, pregnant and frightened, her mother took her baby to raise. McCorveys second child was raised by the father of the baby with no contact from her. McCorvey initially said that her third pregnancy, the one in question at the time of Roe v. Wade, was the result of rape, but years later she said she had invented the rape story in an attempt to make a stronger case for an abortion. The rape story was of little consequence to her lawyers because they wanted to establish a right to abortion for all women, not just those who had been raped. Roe v. Wade Roe v. Wade was filed in Texas in March 1970 on behalf of the named plaintiff and all women similarly situated, typical wording for a class-action lawsuit. Jane Roe was the lead plaintiff of the class. Because of the time it took for the case to make its way through the courts, the decision did not come in time for McCorvey to have an abortion. She gave birth to her child, whom she put up for adoption. Sarah Weddington and Linda Coffee were the Roe v. Wade plaintiffs lawyers. They were looking for a woman who wanted an abortion but did not have the means to obtain one. An adoption attorney introduced the lawyers to McCorvey. They needed a plaintiff who would remain pregnant without traveling to another state or country where abortion was legal because they feared that if their plaintiff obtained an abortion outside of Texas, her case could be rendered moot and dropped. At various times, McCorvey has clarified that she did not consider herself an unwilling participant in the Roe v. Wade lawsuit. However, she felt that feminist activists treated her with disdain because she was a poor, blue-collar, drug-abusing woman instead of a polished, educated feminist. Activist Work After McCorvey revealed that she was Jane Roe, she encountered harassment and violence. People in Texas yelled at her in grocery stores and shot at her house. She aligned herself with the pro-choice movement, even speaking at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., She worked at several clinics where abortions were provided. In 1994, she wrote a book, with a ghostwriter, called I am Roe: My Life, Roe v. Wade, and Freedom of Choice. The Conversion In 1995, McCorvey was working at a clinic in Dallas when Operation Rescue moved in next door. She allegedly struck up a friendship over cigarettes with Operation Rescue preacher Philip Flip Benham. McCorvey said that Benham talked to her regularly and was kind to her. She became friends with him, attended church, and was baptized. She surprised the world by appearing on national television to say that she now believed abortion was wrong. McCorvey had been in a lesbian relationship for years, but she eventually denounced lesbianism as well after her conversion to Christianity. Within a few years of her first book, McCorvey wrote a second book, Won by Love: Norma McCorvey, Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade, Speaks Out for the Unborn as She Shares Her New Conviction for Life. Later Years and Death In her later years, McCorvey was nearly homeless, relying on â€Å"free room and board from strangers, says Joshua Prager, who wrote an extensive story about her published in Vanity Fair in February 2013. McCorvey eventually ended up in an assisted-living facility in Katy, Texas, where she died of heart failure on Feb. 17, 2017, at age 69, according to Prager, who was working on a book about her at the time of her death. Legacy Since the Roe v. Wade ruling, about 50 million legal abortions have been performed in the United States, although later court decisions and new state and federal laws have imposed restrictions, and abortions have declined with the wide use of contraceptives, according to McCorveys obituary published in The New York Times. Many of those who oppose abortions have called the Roe v. Wade lawyers immoral, saying that they took advantage of McCorvey. In fact, if she had not been Roe, someone else would likely have been the plaintiff. Feminists across the nation were working for abortion rights at the time. Perhaps something McCorvey herself said in a 1989 New York Times article best sums up her legacy: More and more, Im the issue. I dont know if I should be the issue. Abortion is the issue. I never even had an abortion. Sources Hersher, Rebecca. â€Å"Norma McCorvey Of Roe v. Wade Embodied The Complexity Of American Abortion Debate.†Ã‚  NPR, 18 Feb. 2017.Langer, Emily. â€Å"Norma McCorvey, Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade Decision Legalizing Abortion Nationwide, Dies at 69.†Ã‚  The Washington Post, 18 Feb. 2017.McFadden, Robert. â€Å"Norma McCorvey, Roe in Roe v. Wade, Is Dead at 69.†Ã‚  The New York Times, 18 Feb. 2017Prager, Joshua. â€Å"Tracing the Life of Norma McCorvey, ‘Jane Roe’ of Roe v. Wade, and Why Shed Favor an Abortion Ban.†Ã‚  The Hive, Vanity Fair, 30 Jan. 2015.

Biography of Norma McCorvey, Roe in Roe v. Wade

Biography of Norma McCorvey, 'Roe' in Roe v. Wade Norma McCorvey (September 22, 1947–February 18, 2017) was a young pregnant woman in Texas in 1970 without the means or funds to have an abortion. She became the plaintiff known as Jane Roe in Roe v. Wade, which was decided in 1973 and became one of the most famous Supreme Court decisions of the 20th century. McCorveys identity was hidden for another decade but, during the 1980s, the public learned about the plaintiff whose lawsuit struck down most abortion laws in the United States. In 1995, McCorvey made news again when she declared she had changed to a pro-life stance, with newfound Christian beliefs. Fast Facts: Norma McCorvey Known For: She was Roe in the famous Supreme Court abortion case Roe. v. Wade.Also Known As: Norma Leah Nelson, Jane RoeBorn: Sept. 22, 1947 in Simmesport, LouisianaParents: Mary and Olin NelsonDied: Feb. 18, 2017 in Katy, TexasPublished Works: I Am Roe (1994), Won by Love (1997)Spouse: Elwood McCorvey (m.  1963–1965)Children: Melissa (Nothing is publicly known of the two children McCorvey gave up for adoption.)Notable Quote: â€Å"I wasn’t the wrong person to become Jane Roe. I wasn’t the right person to become Jane Roe. I was just the person who became Jane Roe, of Roe v. Wade. And my life story, warts and all, was a little piece of history.† Early Years McCorvey was born on Sept. 22, 1947, as Norma Nelson to Mary and Olin Nelson. McCorvey ran away from home at one point and, after returning, was sent to reform school. After the family moved to Houston, her parents divorced when she was 13. McCorvey suffered abuse, met and married Elwood McCorvey at age 16, and left Texas for California. When she returned, pregnant and frightened, her mother took her baby to raise. McCorveys second child was raised by the father of the baby with no contact from her. McCorvey initially said that her third pregnancy, the one in question at the time of Roe v. Wade, was the result of rape, but years later she said she had invented the rape story in an attempt to make a stronger case for an abortion. The rape story was of little consequence to her lawyers because they wanted to establish a right to abortion for all women, not just those who had been raped. Roe v. Wade Roe v. Wade was filed in Texas in March 1970 on behalf of the named plaintiff and all women similarly situated, typical wording for a class-action lawsuit. Jane Roe was the lead plaintiff of the class. Because of the time it took for the case to make its way through the courts, the decision did not come in time for McCorvey to have an abortion. She gave birth to her child, whom she put up for adoption. Sarah Weddington and Linda Coffee were the Roe v. Wade plaintiffs lawyers. They were looking for a woman who wanted an abortion but did not have the means to obtain one. An adoption attorney introduced the lawyers to McCorvey. They needed a plaintiff who would remain pregnant without traveling to another state or country where abortion was legal because they feared that if their plaintiff obtained an abortion outside of Texas, her case could be rendered moot and dropped. At various times, McCorvey has clarified that she did not consider herself an unwilling participant in the Roe v. Wade lawsuit. However, she felt that feminist activists treated her with disdain because she was a poor, blue-collar, drug-abusing woman instead of a polished, educated feminist. Activist Work After McCorvey revealed that she was Jane Roe, she encountered harassment and violence. People in Texas yelled at her in grocery stores and shot at her house. She aligned herself with the pro-choice movement, even speaking at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., She worked at several clinics where abortions were provided. In 1994, she wrote a book, with a ghostwriter, called I am Roe: My Life, Roe v. Wade, and Freedom of Choice. The Conversion In 1995, McCorvey was working at a clinic in Dallas when Operation Rescue moved in next door. She allegedly struck up a friendship over cigarettes with Operation Rescue preacher Philip Flip Benham. McCorvey said that Benham talked to her regularly and was kind to her. She became friends with him, attended church, and was baptized. She surprised the world by appearing on national television to say that she now believed abortion was wrong. McCorvey had been in a lesbian relationship for years, but she eventually denounced lesbianism as well after her conversion to Christianity. Within a few years of her first book, McCorvey wrote a second book, Won by Love: Norma McCorvey, Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade, Speaks Out for the Unborn as She Shares Her New Conviction for Life. Later Years and Death In her later years, McCorvey was nearly homeless, relying on â€Å"free room and board from strangers, says Joshua Prager, who wrote an extensive story about her published in Vanity Fair in February 2013. McCorvey eventually ended up in an assisted-living facility in Katy, Texas, where she died of heart failure on Feb. 17, 2017, at age 69, according to Prager, who was working on a book about her at the time of her death. Legacy Since the Roe v. Wade ruling, about 50 million legal abortions have been performed in the United States, although later court decisions and new state and federal laws have imposed restrictions, and abortions have declined with the wide use of contraceptives, according to McCorveys obituary published in The New York Times. Many of those who oppose abortions have called the Roe v. Wade lawyers immoral, saying that they took advantage of McCorvey. In fact, if she had not been Roe, someone else would likely have been the plaintiff. Feminists across the nation were working for abortion rights at the time. Perhaps something McCorvey herself said in a 1989 New York Times article best sums up her legacy: More and more, Im the issue. I dont know if I should be the issue. Abortion is the issue. I never even had an abortion. Sources Hersher, Rebecca. â€Å"Norma McCorvey Of Roe v. Wade Embodied The Complexity Of American Abortion Debate.†Ã‚  NPR, 18 Feb. 2017.Langer, Emily. â€Å"Norma McCorvey, Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade Decision Legalizing Abortion Nationwide, Dies at 69.†Ã‚  The Washington Post, 18 Feb. 2017.McFadden, Robert. â€Å"Norma McCorvey, Roe in Roe v. Wade, Is Dead at 69.†Ã‚  The New York Times, 18 Feb. 2017Prager, Joshua. â€Å"Tracing the Life of Norma McCorvey, ‘Jane Roe’ of Roe v. Wade, and Why Shed Favor an Abortion Ban.†Ã‚  The Hive, Vanity Fair, 30 Jan. 2015.

Biography of Norma McCorvey, Roe in Roe v. Wade

Biography of Norma McCorvey, 'Roe' in Roe v. Wade Norma McCorvey (September 22, 1947–February 18, 2017) was a young pregnant woman in Texas in 1970 without the means or funds to have an abortion. She became the plaintiff known as Jane Roe in Roe v. Wade, which was decided in 1973 and became one of the most famous Supreme Court decisions of the 20th century. McCorveys identity was hidden for another decade but, during the 1980s, the public learned about the plaintiff whose lawsuit struck down most abortion laws in the United States. In 1995, McCorvey made news again when she declared she had changed to a pro-life stance, with newfound Christian beliefs. Fast Facts: Norma McCorvey Known For: She was Roe in the famous Supreme Court abortion case Roe. v. Wade.Also Known As: Norma Leah Nelson, Jane RoeBorn: Sept. 22, 1947 in Simmesport, LouisianaParents: Mary and Olin NelsonDied: Feb. 18, 2017 in Katy, TexasPublished Works: I Am Roe (1994), Won by Love (1997)Spouse: Elwood McCorvey (m.  1963–1965)Children: Melissa (Nothing is publicly known of the two children McCorvey gave up for adoption.)Notable Quote: â€Å"I wasn’t the wrong person to become Jane Roe. I wasn’t the right person to become Jane Roe. I was just the person who became Jane Roe, of Roe v. Wade. And my life story, warts and all, was a little piece of history.† Early Years McCorvey was born on Sept. 22, 1947, as Norma Nelson to Mary and Olin Nelson. McCorvey ran away from home at one point and, after returning, was sent to reform school. After the family moved to Houston, her parents divorced when she was 13. McCorvey suffered abuse, met and married Elwood McCorvey at age 16, and left Texas for California. When she returned, pregnant and frightened, her mother took her baby to raise. McCorveys second child was raised by the father of the baby with no contact from her. McCorvey initially said that her third pregnancy, the one in question at the time of Roe v. Wade, was the result of rape, but years later she said she had invented the rape story in an attempt to make a stronger case for an abortion. The rape story was of little consequence to her lawyers because they wanted to establish a right to abortion for all women, not just those who had been raped. Roe v. Wade Roe v. Wade was filed in Texas in March 1970 on behalf of the named plaintiff and all women similarly situated, typical wording for a class-action lawsuit. Jane Roe was the lead plaintiff of the class. Because of the time it took for the case to make its way through the courts, the decision did not come in time for McCorvey to have an abortion. She gave birth to her child, whom she put up for adoption. Sarah Weddington and Linda Coffee were the Roe v. Wade plaintiffs lawyers. They were looking for a woman who wanted an abortion but did not have the means to obtain one. An adoption attorney introduced the lawyers to McCorvey. They needed a plaintiff who would remain pregnant without traveling to another state or country where abortion was legal because they feared that if their plaintiff obtained an abortion outside of Texas, her case could be rendered moot and dropped. At various times, McCorvey has clarified that she did not consider herself an unwilling participant in the Roe v. Wade lawsuit. However, she felt that feminist activists treated her with disdain because she was a poor, blue-collar, drug-abusing woman instead of a polished, educated feminist. Activist Work After McCorvey revealed that she was Jane Roe, she encountered harassment and violence. People in Texas yelled at her in grocery stores and shot at her house. She aligned herself with the pro-choice movement, even speaking at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., She worked at several clinics where abortions were provided. In 1994, she wrote a book, with a ghostwriter, called I am Roe: My Life, Roe v. Wade, and Freedom of Choice. The Conversion In 1995, McCorvey was working at a clinic in Dallas when Operation Rescue moved in next door. She allegedly struck up a friendship over cigarettes with Operation Rescue preacher Philip Flip Benham. McCorvey said that Benham talked to her regularly and was kind to her. She became friends with him, attended church, and was baptized. She surprised the world by appearing on national television to say that she now believed abortion was wrong. McCorvey had been in a lesbian relationship for years, but she eventually denounced lesbianism as well after her conversion to Christianity. Within a few years of her first book, McCorvey wrote a second book, Won by Love: Norma McCorvey, Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade, Speaks Out for the Unborn as She Shares Her New Conviction for Life. Later Years and Death In her later years, McCorvey was nearly homeless, relying on â€Å"free room and board from strangers, says Joshua Prager, who wrote an extensive story about her published in Vanity Fair in February 2013. McCorvey eventually ended up in an assisted-living facility in Katy, Texas, where she died of heart failure on Feb. 17, 2017, at age 69, according to Prager, who was working on a book about her at the time of her death. Legacy Since the Roe v. Wade ruling, about 50 million legal abortions have been performed in the United States, although later court decisions and new state and federal laws have imposed restrictions, and abortions have declined with the wide use of contraceptives, according to McCorveys obituary published in The New York Times. Many of those who oppose abortions have called the Roe v. Wade lawyers immoral, saying that they took advantage of McCorvey. In fact, if she had not been Roe, someone else would likely have been the plaintiff. Feminists across the nation were working for abortion rights at the time. Perhaps something McCorvey herself said in a 1989 New York Times article best sums up her legacy: More and more, Im the issue. I dont know if I should be the issue. Abortion is the issue. I never even had an abortion. Sources Hersher, Rebecca. â€Å"Norma McCorvey Of Roe v. Wade Embodied The Complexity Of American Abortion Debate.†Ã‚  NPR, 18 Feb. 2017.Langer, Emily. â€Å"Norma McCorvey, Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade Decision Legalizing Abortion Nationwide, Dies at 69.†Ã‚  The Washington Post, 18 Feb. 2017.McFadden, Robert. â€Å"Norma McCorvey, Roe in Roe v. Wade, Is Dead at 69.†Ã‚  The New York Times, 18 Feb. 2017Prager, Joshua. â€Å"Tracing the Life of Norma McCorvey, ‘Jane Roe’ of Roe v. Wade, and Why Shed Favor an Abortion Ban.†Ã‚  The Hive, Vanity Fair, 30 Jan. 2015.

Statistics from the War on Drugs Tell a Story

Statistics from the War on Drugs Tell a Story In 1971, President Richard Nixon first declared a national â€Å"war on drugs,† and greatly increased the size and authority of federal government drug control agencies. Since 1988, the U.S. war against illegal drugs has been coordinated by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). The director of the ONDCP plays the real-life role of Americas Drug Czar. Created by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, the ONDCP advises the President of the United States on drug-control issues, coordinates drug-control activities and related funding across the Federal government, and produces the annual National Drug Control Strategy, which outlines Administration efforts to reduce illicit drug use, manufacturing and trafficking, drug-related crime and violence, and drug-related health consequences. Under the coordination of the ONDCP, the following federal agencies play key enforcement and advisory roles in the War on Drugs: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services AdministrationFederal Bureau of InvestigationBureau of Justice AssistanceDrug Enforcement AgencyUnited States Customs and Border ProtectionNational Institute on Drug AbuseU.S. Coast Guard Are We Winning? Today, as drug abusers continue to flood America’s prisons and violent drug crimes devastate neighborhoods, many people criticize the effectiveness of War on Drugs. However, actual statistics suggest that without the War on Drugs, the problem may be even worse. For example, during fiscal year 2015, Customs and Border Protection alone reported seizing: 135,943 pounds of cocaine;2,015 pounds of heroin;6,135 pounds of methamphetamine; and4,330,475 (Yes, 4.3 million) pounds of marijuana. During fiscal year 2014, the Drug Enforcement Agency seized: 74,450 pounds of cocaine;2, 248 pounds of heroin;6,494 pounds of methamphetamine; and163,638 pounds of marijuana. (The discrepancy in marijuana seizures is attributable to the fact that Customs and Border Protection has the main responsibility for intercepting the drug as it flows into the U.S. from Mexico.) In addition, the ONDCP reported that during 1997, U.S. law enforcement agencies seized an estimated $512 million in illegal drug trade-related cash and property. So does the seizure of 2,360 tons of illegal drugs by two federal agencies in just two years indicate the success or utter futility of the War on Drugs? Despite the volume of drugs seized, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported an estimated 1,841,200 state and local arrests for drug abuse violations in the United States during 2007. But whether the War on Drugs has been a smashing success or a dismal failure, it has been expensive. Funding the War In fiscal year 1985, the annual federal budget allocated $1.5 billion to fighting illegal drug use, trafficking and drug-related crime. By fiscal year 2000, that figure had increased to $17.7 billion, increasing by almost $3.3 billion per year. Jump to fiscal year 2016, when President Obama’s budget included $27.6 billion to support the National Drug Control Strategy, an increase of $1.2 billion (4.7%) above fiscal year 2015 funding. In February 2015, U.S. Drug Czar and director of the Obama administration’s ONDCP Michael Botticelli attempted to justify the expenditure in his confirmation address to the Senate. â€Å"Earlier this month, President Obama in his 2016 Budget requested historic levels of funding including $133 million in new funds to address the opioid misuse epidemic in the U.S. Using a public health framework as its foundation, our strategy also acknowledges the vital role that federal state and local law enforcement play in reducing the availability of drugs another risk factor for drug use,† said Botticelli. â€Å"It underscores the vital importance of primary prevention in stopping drug use before it ever begins by funding prevention efforts across the country.† Botticelli added that the expenditure was intended to remove the â€Å"systemic challenges† that had historically held back progress in the War on Drugs: Over-criminalization of illegal drug use;lack of integration with mainstream medical care;lack of insurance coverage for drug abuse treatment; andlegal barriers that make it difficult for people once involved with the criminal justice system to rebuild their lives. A recovering alcoholic himself, Botticelli urged the millions of Americans in substance abuse recovery to â€Å"come out† and demand to be treated like people with non-abuse related chronic diseases. â€Å"By putting faces and voices to the disease of addiction and the promise of recovery, we can lift the curtain of conventional wisdom that continues to keep too many of us hidden and without access to lifesaving treatment,† he said.