Will Webster redefine Roe v. Wade?
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to review Webster v. Reproductive Health Services, a Missouri case that challenges the validity of legislative direction of public policy as outlined in Roe v. Wade, has fueled speculation that the Court will use the case to reconsider, and perhaps reverse, Roe. When the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade opened the door to legalized abortion, it guaranteed only a woman’s right to choose to terminate or continue a pregnancy without undue interference by the state–citing legitimate grounds for “due” interference by the state. In 1986 the Missouri legislature passed a statute that regulated medical practices related to abortion, including broad restrictions on the expenditure of state funds. Further, the state attempted to protect viable fetuses and directed physicians to perform certain tests to ascertain the baby’s gestational age. It also contained a legislative finding that “life begins at conception.” A challenge was filed almost immediately. In its appl