Woe is Roe

Today marks the 34th anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade, which proclaimed a woman's Constitutional right to an abortion. Lots will be written today about Roe, both pro and con, but it's worth keeping in mind that Roe is not the alpha and omega of the Court's abortion jurisprudence. Equally important, perhaps more so, is Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the 1992 decision which both undermined and reaffirmed Roe. As this article in Slate points out, Casey is worthy of commemoration in its own right. Additionally, Jack Balkin explains how Casey has dominated the political reality of the abortion debate.