NCTE Celebrates the 39th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

Yesterday marked the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court’s 1973 decision recognizing that the right to personal privacy guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment is broad enough to encompass the right to decide whether to terminate a pregnancy. Roe stands for the fundamental right to personal privacy and the ability to control one’s own body without intrusion from the government. Few rights could be more important for transgender people, whose bodies and personal decisions have long been subject to scrutiny and interference. In many places, laws still require transgender people to undergo unwanted and unneeded medical procedures and sacrifice their own ability to reproduce in order to fully participate in society. Today we celebrate Roe’s recognition that the Constitution guarantees each of us the right to make personal decisions about our own bodies, and we look ahead to the work we still need to do to fulfill that promise for all.