For the first time, the child of Jane Roe in theRoe v. Wadecase is speaking out, sharing her identity and her complex viewpoints on family and the right to choose.
The Family Roeauthor Joshua Prager interviewed countless individuals connected to the landmark Supreme Court case, writing forThe Atlanticanew piece that identifiesShelley Lynn Thornton, now 51, as the center of the historical event.
In March 1970, Norma McCorvey, a pregnant waitress in Dallas, sued Dallas County District Attorney Henry Wade and took on Texas' restrictive laws against abortions under the pseudonym Jane Roe. She won the case — and pregnant people secured abortion rights — but McCorvey went on to give birth since the court proceedings took years.
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The final decision was announced in January 1973, and Shelley was born on June 2, 1970.
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Shelley told Prager about finding out about her birth mother as a teen, having complicated views on abortion — that shifted as she learned about the court case — and how those on opposing sides of the controversial subject tried to use her to advance their agendas.
“I want everyone to understand that this is something I’ve chosen to do,” she said of speaking out. She also added, “… Secrets and lies are, like, the two worst things in the whole world. I’m keeping a secret, but I hate it.”
Norma McCorvey.Robert Daemmrich Photography Inc/Corbis via Getty
McCorvey gave birth to three children, all of whom were placed for adoption. She died in 2017 at age 69. Shelley eventually met with her half-sisters Melissa and Jennifer, but she avoided her birth mother, only having contentious phone calls over the years.
She later recalled a heated 1994 phone call with McCorvey: “I was like, ‘What?! I’m supposed to thank you for getting knocked up … and then giving me away?’ I told her I would never, ever thank her for not aborting me.”
“I knew what I didn’t want to do,” she said of raising her son. “I didn’t want to ever make him feel that he was a burden or unloved.”
Texas recently passed therestrictive Senate Bill 8that essentially eliminates the rights ofRoe v. Wade. The billprohibits abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, which is before most people know they’re pregnant. The bill also does not allow exceptions for pregnancies that are the result of incest or rape.
The Supreme Court is expected to take up Texas andother states' challenges toRoe v. Wadewhen they’re back in session in October.
source: people.com
