- Norma McCorvey
-
Norma McCorvey Born Norma Leah Nelson
September 22, 1947
Simmesport, Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, U.S.Nationality American Other names Jane Roe Occupation Director, Crossing Over Ministry Known for Roe v. Wade Religion Roman Catholic Spouse Woody McCorvey (m. 1963–1965) Partner Connie Gonzales (1970–1992) Children 3 daughters Parents Mildred (mother) Norma Leah McCorvey (née Nelson; September 22, 1947), better known by the legal pseudonym "Jane Roe", was the plaintiff in the landmark American lawsuit Roe v. Wade in 1973.[1] The U.S. Supreme Court overturned individual states' laws against abortion by ruling them unconstitutional. Later, McCorvey's opinion on abortion drastically changed, and she is now active in Pro-Life causes.[2]
Contents
Personal life
McCorvey was born in Simmesport, Louisiana, and raised in Houston, Texas as a Jehovah's Witness. McCorvey's father left the family before she was old enough to remember;[3] her parents subsequently divorced and she was raised by her mother Mildred, a violent alcoholic. McCorvey's father died on September 27, 1995. She is of partial Cajun and Cherokee ancestry.[1] She dropped out of high school at the age of 14.[4] Two years later, she married Woody McCorvey, but claimed he was abusive towards her. Subsequently, McCorvey left him during the pregnancy with her first child, Melissa (born 1965). The following year, McCorvey again became pregnant, eventually giving birth to a baby that was placed for adoption. She then returned to live with her mother, but when Norma intimated that she was sexually attracted to women, her mother disowned her and took custody of Norma's daughter, Melissa.[1]
Roe v. Wade
January 1973: Norma McCorvey shedding her legal pseudonym of Jane Roe.
In 1969, at the age of 21, while working low-paying jobs and living with her father, McCorvey became pregnant a third time. She returned to Dallas, where friends advised her to assert falsely that she had been raped, as she would then be eligible to obtain a legal abortion (with the understanding that Texas's pro-life laws allowed abortion in the cases of rape and incest). Due to lack of police evidence or documentation, the scheme was not successful and McCorvey would later admit the situation was a fabrication.[5][6] She attempted to obtain an illegal abortion, but the respective clinics had been closed down by authorities.
Eventually, McCorvey was referred to attorneys Linda Coffee and Sarah Weddington.[7] The case took three years of trials to reach the United States Supreme Court. In the meantime, McCorvey had given birth to the baby in question, who was eventually adopted.[1]
McCorvey revealed herself to the press as being "Jane Roe" of the decision within days of its issuance and stated that she sought an abortion because she was unemployable and greatly depressed.[8] In the 1980s, McCorvey asserted that she had been the "pawn" of two young and ambitious lawyers (Weddington and Coffee) who were looking for a plaintiff with whom they could challenge the Texas state law prohibiting abortion.[9]
Books and conversion
In her first book, the 1994 autobiography, I Am Roe, McCorvey wrote of her sexuality. For many years, she had lived quietly in Dallas with her long-time partner, Connie Gonzales. "We're not like other lesbians, going to bars," she explained in a New York Times interview. "We're lesbians together. We're homers."[1] That same year, she converted to Christianity and expressed remorse for her part in the Supreme Court decision. McCorvey has worked as part of the pro-life movement, such as Operation Rescue.
At a signing of I Am Roe, McCorvey was befriended by evangelical minister Flip Benham.[10] She was baptized on August 8, 1995, by Benham in a Dallas, Texas, backyard swimming pool, an event that was filmed for national television. Two days later she announced that she had become an advocate of Operation Rescue's campaign to make abortion illegal.
McCorvey's second book, Won by Love, was published in 1998. She explained her change on the stance of abortion with the following comments:
I was sitting in O.R.'s offices when I noticed a fetal development poster. The progression was so obvious, the eyes were so sweet. It hurt my heart, just looking at them. I ran outside and finally, it dawned on me. 'Norma', I said to myself, 'They're right'. I had worked with pregnant women for years. I had been through three pregnancies and deliveries myself. I should have known. Yet something in that poster made me lose my breath. I kept seeing the picture of that tiny, 10-week-old embryo, and I said to myself, that's a baby! It's as if blinders just fell off my eyes and I suddenly understood the truth — that's a baby!
I felt crushed under the truth of this realization. I had to face up to the awful reality. Abortion wasn't about 'products of conception'. It wasn't about 'missed periods'. It was about children being killed in their mother's wombs. All those years I was wrong. Signing that affidavit, I was wrong. Working in an abortion clinic, I was wrong. No more of this first trimester, second trimester, third trimester stuff. Abortion — at any point — was wrong. It was so clear. Painfully clear.[2]Shortly thereafter, McCorvey released a statement that affirmed her entrance into the Roman Catholic Church, and she has been confirmed into the church as a full member.[11] [12]
McCorvey has also stated that she is no longer a lesbian.[13] On August 17, 1998, she was received into the Catholic Church by Father Frank Pavone, the International Director of Priests for Life and Father Edward Robinson in Dallas.[14]
Later life
In February 2005, McCorvey petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn the 1973 decision with McCorvey v. Hill arguing that the case should be heard once again in light of evidence that the procedure harms women but the petition was denied.
On January 22, 2008, McCorvey endorsed Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul. McCorvey stated, "I support Ron Paul for president because we share the same goal, that of overturning Roe v. Wade. He has never wavered on the issue of being pro-life and has a voting record to prove it. He understands the importance of civil liberties for all, including the unborn."[15]
McCorvey is still active in pro-life demonstrations including one she participated in before President Barack Obama's commencement address to the graduates of the Catholic University of Notre Dame. The decision to have Obama speak at the university on May 17, 2009, was met with controversy because of the conflict between his views on abortion and those of the Catholic Church. She was arrested on the first day of US Senate hearings for the confirmation to the Supreme Court of the United States of Sonia Sotomayor after she and another protester started yelling during the opening statement of Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.).[16]
McCorvey made her acting debut in the movie Doonby shot on location in 2010 in the small central Texas town of Smithville. Starring John Schneider, Jenn Gotzon, and Robert Davi, the film previewed at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and is slated for release in the fall of 2011.[17]
Books
- I Am Roe (1994) ISBN 0-06-017010-7 ISBN 0-06-092638-4
- Won by Love (1998) ISBN 0-7852-7237-2 ISBN 0-7567-7332-6
References
- ^ a b c d e "Norma McCorvey; Of Roe, Dreams And Choices" By Alex Witchel in The New York Times (July 28, 1994)
- ^ a b Roe v. McCorvey
- ^ 'These steps are covered with blood'
- ^ "Jane Roe" tells the truth about Roe v Wade
- ^ McCorvey, Norma. Won by Love (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997), p. 241.
- ^ McCorvey, Norma. Testimony to the Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution, Federalism and Property Rights (1998-01-21), quoted in the parliament of Western Australia (PDF) (1998-05-20).
- ^ "[1]" McCorvey, Norma and Meisler, Andy. I Am Roe: My Life, Roe V. Wade, and Freedom of Choice (Harpercollins, May, 1994) (Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc.) Retrieved (2009-08-20).
- ^ http://ravingatheist.com/2009/01/trivia-question-answer
- ^ CNN.com - Who is 'Jane Roe'?, Jun. 18, 2003
- ^ Miss Norma & Her Baby: Two Victims Who Got Away
- ^ Priests for Life: Norma McCorvey's Ministry and Website
- ^ http://www.priestsforlife.org/columns/conversionofnorma.html The Conversion of Norma McCorvey. Priests for Life. Rev. Frank Pavone
- ^ Duin, Julia (January 21, 1996), "Jane Roe's 'turn to God' complete", The Washington Times
- ^ http://www.priestsforlife.org/columns/conversionofnorma.html The Conversion of Norma McCorvey. Priests for Life. Rev. Frank Pavone
- ^ 'Jane Roe' endorses Paul - msnbc.com
- ^ "'Jane Roe' Arrested at Supreme Court Hearing", Washington Post, July 13, 2009
- ^ Bond, Paul (May 4, 2011). "Woman at Center of Roe v. Wade Stars in Abortion-Themed Movie (Exclusive)". http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/woman-at-center-roe-v-184611. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
External links
Categories:- 1947 births
- Living people
- Abortion in the United States
- African Americans' rights activists
- American non-fiction writers
- American people of Acadian descent
- American people of Cherokee descent
- American pro-life activists
- American Roman Catholics
- Converts to Roman Catholicism
- Former Jehovah's Witnesses
- People from Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana
- People from Houston, Texas
- People self-identified as ex-gay
- Roman Catholic activists
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