January 17, 2003
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt law professor Rebecca Brown and Linda Manning, director of the Margaret Cuninggim Women’s Center at Vanderbilt, will give a talk on the historic Roe v. Wade decision at a noon lecture on Wednesday, Jan. 22.
The lecture begins at 12:10 p.m. in Flynn Auditorium at the Vanderbilt University Law School.
Brown will discuss the evolution of the constitutional right to
privacy through the various legal decisions leading up to Roe v. Wade. Brown, who joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 1988, is a noted constitutional law scholar and has published numerous articles on the subject. In 1985, she clerked for Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.
Manning, who is also a senior lecturer in Women’s Studies at Vanderbilt, will discuss the societal and psychological impact of the Roe v. Wade decision on women. Manning has a doctorate degree in counseling psychology with a concentration in the psychology of women. At Vanderbilt, she teaches a course titled “Psychology of Women and Feminist Approaches to Clinical Practice.” Manning has conducted programming and training activities related to gender equity and diversity issues for more than 20 years.
Brown and Manning’s talk is sponsored by the Vanderbilt University Law School student ACLU chapter, the Women Law Students Association at Vanderbilt, Margaret Cuninggim Women’s Center and Vanderbilt’s “World on Wednesdays” lecture series.
Decided on Jan. 22, 1973, Roe v. Wade altered the legal landscape of constitutional law, as well as social discourse. The suit was brought by Norma McCorvey, known as “Jane Roe,” and her lawyer, Sarah Weddington. McCorvey, a Texas resident, sought to obtain an abortion; however, Texas law prohibited abortion except to save the pregnant mother’s life.
The Supreme Court held in Roe v. Wade that a woman’s right to an abortion fell within the right to privacy and is protected by the 14th Amendment. The decision gave a woman the right to abortion during the entirety of the pregnancy and defined different levels of state interest for regulating abortion in the second and third trimesters. The court’s ruling affected laws in 46 states.
Princine Lewis, (615)322-NEWS, princine.l.lewis@vanderbilt.edu