Texas

Abortion in Texas

Texas is famous in the history of women's rights as the state where the case Roe v. Wade originated: this case originally filed in a U.S. District court in Texas and requested that Norma McCorvey (then referred to as Jane Roe) be permitted to obtain an abortion on the grounds of rape. The case was lost at the District level but was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, and in 1973 resulted in an historic ruling that overturned many state laws prohibiting or limiting abortion.

However, today, Texas has a number of laws restricting abortion and minor access to contraception, including a 24-hour waiting period for abortion, a requirement that physicians notify women of medical risks and adoption alternatives, and prohibition of minors obtaining contraceptives without parental consent. Sex education provided in schools is primarily abstinence-only. Ipas, a reproductive rights organization, ranks Texas 33rd among the 50 states in terms of reproductive rights.

Famous Mothers

Mothers in Texas have distinguished themselves in many walks of life. Jane Herbert Wilkinson Long (1798–1880) is sometimes referred to as the “mother of Texas”: she is believed to have become the first white woman to give birth in Texas. Among politicians, Miriam A. Ferguson (1875–1961) was the first woman to serve as governor of Texas, from 1925 to 1927 and 1933 to 1935; Kay Bailey Hutchinson was the first female U.S. Senator elected from Texas; and Ann Richards (1933–2006) was the second female governor from Texas, from 1991 to 1995. Sandra Day O'Connor was the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States, from 1981 to 2006. Mary Ann Adams Maverick (1818–98) was an early settler, historian, and author who chronicled the early history of San Antonio.

Sheryl Swoopes, nicknamed “the female Michael Jordan,” starred at Texas Tech and won three Olympic gold medals in basketball in 1996, 2000, and 2004, and was chosen most valuable player three times in the Women's NBA (in 2000, 2002, and 2005), despite missing part of the opening season due to the birth of her first child.

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