Sarah Weddington, lawyer who argued Roe v. Wade, dies at 76

By JAKE BLEIBERG

DALLAS (AP) — Sarah Weddington, a Texas lawyer who arsenic a 26-year-old successfully argued the landmark termination rights lawsuit Roe v. Wade earlier the U.S. Supreme Court, died Sunday. She was 76.

Susan Hays, Weddington’s erstwhile pupil and colleague, said she died successful her slumber aboriginal Sunday greeting astatine her Austin home. Weddington had been successful mediocre wellness for immoderate clip and it was not instantly wide what caused her death, Hays told The Associated Press.

Raised arsenic a minister’s girl successful the West Texas metropolis of Abilene, Weddington attended instrumentality schoolhouse astatine the University of Texas. A mates years aft graduating, she and a erstwhile classmate, Linda Coffee, brought a class-action suit connected behalf of a large pistillate challenging a authorities instrumentality that mostly banned abortions.

The lawsuit of “Jane Roe,” whose existent sanction was Norma McCorvey, was brought against Dallas County District Attorney Henry Wade and yet precocious to the Supreme Court.

Weddington argued the lawsuit earlier the precocious tribunal twice, successful December 1971 and again successful October 1972, resulting the adjacent twelvemonth successful the 7-2 ruling that legalized termination nationwide.

Weddington’s decease comes arsenic the Supreme Court is considering a lawsuit implicit Mississippi’s prohibition connected abortions aft 15 weeks of gestation that’s wide considered to beryllium astir superior situation successful years to the Roe decision.

While that lawsuit was earlier the court, Weddington besides ran to correspond Austin successful the Texas House of Representatives. She was elected successful 1972 and served 3 presumption arsenic a authorities lawmaker, earlier becoming wide counsel of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and aboriginal moving arsenic advisor connected women’s issues to President Jimmy Carter.

Weddington aboriginal wrote a publication connected Roe v. Wade, gave lectures and taught courses astatine the University of Texas astatine Austin and Texas Women’s University connected leadership, instrumentality and sex discrimination. She remained progressive successful the governmental and ineligible worlds good into her aboriginal years, attending the 2019 signing ceremonial for a New York authorities instrumentality meant to safeguard termination rights should Roe v. Wade beryllium overturned.