7 things you didn’t know about Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade

Perhaps you haven’t heard much regarding Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade. If you’re like me, only eight years ago did I know that the famous leading plaintiff in the case that legalized abortion in the United States is actually a woman by the name of Norma McCorvey. “Jane Roe” was her given pseudonym for the case.

On September 13, 2008, I attended an Alabama Citizens for Life banquet in Montgomery, Alabama. There I would hear Norma McCorvey’s story for the very first time.  I hung on every word as she told us the truth about her part in the Supreme Court ruling and other facts like the following…

1. She never had an abortion.

Norma McCorvey, the plaintiff in the case that legalized abortion for women, has confessed in innumerable interviews and speaking events that she never had an abortion and that her pregnancy was not a product of rape as she had claimed in the case. The then mother of two gave her third child the gift of adoption. She was represented in the case as a woman seeking a legal abortion of her unborn baby. In a 1997 CNN interview, it was explained that:

Norma McCorvey wrote in her first book, I Am Roe, that she in fact was not pregnant by rape like she had first said. That was a lie. She said she had invented the rape story in an attempt to make a stronger case for an abortion.

2. She asked her doctor to put her in touch with an adoptive/foster attorney. That attorney put her in touch with pro-aborts.

In an interview on May 18, 2006, they stated that after a time of being abortion minded, Norma McCorvey wanted other options:

Those two women were Sarah Weddington (the attorney) and Linda Coffee (representing the plaintiffs) looking for a vulnerable pregnant woman who would sign their paperwork for the monumental case. 

3. She agreed to be the leading plaintiff for “free pizza & beer.”

Norma lamented in the 2006 interview with Brad Harrub, Ph.D.:

4. She never stepped foot in a courtroom.

Norma McCorvey not only never had an abortion, she never even entered a courtroom regarding this court case. She only signed an affidavit in Texas and was used as a pawn. Had she been questioned or given testimony in court proceedings, this case may not have been won at all. Dr. Harrub was surprised when he asked, “Did you ever attend courtroom sessions?” Her response stunned me. She quickly replied, “No, never.” 

5. She read about the legalization of abortion in the newspaper. She was never contacted after signing.

Norma explained:

McCorvey was unaware that the case had gone anywhere. She has described her reaction as being as surprised as anyone.

6. In 1995, Norma McCorvey declared herself pro-life.

Norma McCorvey publicly committed her life to ‘serving the Lord and helping women save babies.’ She accepted a new job at Operation Rescue as a computer operator and was welcomed into the pro-life community. Since that time, McCorvey published “Won By Love” in January of 2003, sharing her true story and accounts of changing her position from pro-choice to pro-life. She also made a pro life commercial (seen below) to lament her role in the case. In a 1995 Nightline interview, she explained that after working in four Dallas-area abortion centers and learning a lot more, she started having inner-conflicts with herself. From that time on, Norma has completely moved her position from “a woman’s right to choose” to upholding the right to life of the preborn baby.

Norma (Jane Roe) from VirtueMedia on Vimeo.

7. She has attempted to have the case reopened and overturned.

Norma has dedicated herself to pro-life work, starting her own ministry, “Roe No More,” in 1997, while continuing to speak out against abortion and for life. In 2003, Norma “went to court in an attempt to overturn Roe v. Wade“:

Speaking publicly on September 13, 2008, for the Alabama Citizens for Life banquet in Montgomery, Alabama, Norma stated, “My decisions were wrong and I am fighting with every breath to change what has occurred. My view has changed. I believe that God has brought me to this point to bring change once again.”