Roe v. WADE was a landmark Supreme Court case in 1973 that established a woman's right to an abortion. The case was brought by Norma McCorvey, who was known as 'Jane Roe' in the court proceedings. The defendant was Henry WADE, the district attorney of Dallas County, Texas. The ruling declared that the right to privacy under the due process clause of the 14th Amendment extended to a woman's decision to have an abortion. This ruling overturned all state laws that prohibited or restricted abortion.