Norma Leah Nelson McCorvey (September 22, 1947 – February 18, 2017), also known by the pseudonym "Jane Roe", was the plaintiff in the landmark 1973 American legal case Roe v. Wade in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that individual state laws banning abortion were unconstitutional.
[5] McCorvey was born Norma Leah Nelson in Simmesport, Louisiana,[6] and spent her early childhood at her family's residence in Lettsworth in Pointe Coupee Parish.
[10] McCorvey had trouble with the law that began at the age of ten, when she robbed the cash register at a gas station and ran away to Oklahoma City with a friend.
[6][2] They tricked a hotel worker into letting them rent a room, and were there for two days when a maid walked in on her and her female friend kissing.
[6] Eventually, McCorvey was referred to attorneys Linda Coffee and Sarah Weddington,[13][23] who were looking for pregnant women who were seeking abortions.
[2] McCorvey told the press that she was "Jane Roe" soon after the decision was reached, stating that she had sought an abortion because she was unemployable and greatly depressed.
The National Enquirer journalist was motivated by McCorvey's appearance on the Today show, in which she spoke of her desire to meet her daughter.
At a book signing, McCorvey was befriended by Flip Benham, an evangelical minister and the national director of the anti-abortion organization Operation Rescue.
[27] She converted to Evangelical Protestantism and was baptized on August 8, 1995, by Benham, in a Dallas, Texas, backyard swimming pool—an event that was filmed for national television.
[30] In 2004, McCorvey sought to have the U.S. Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade, saying that there was now evidence that the procedure harms women, but the case was ultimately dismissed in 2005.
[33] McCorvey remained active in anti-abortion demonstrations, including one she participated in before President Barack Obama's commencement address to the graduates of the University of Notre Dame.
[37][38] Soon after giving birth a third time, as Roe v. Wade made its way through the courts, McCorvey met and began a long-term relationship with Connie Gonzalez.
Later in life, McCorvey stated that she was no longer a lesbian,[39] although she later said that her religious conversion to Evangelical Christianity and renouncement of her sexuality were financially motivated.
[15][17] On May 22, 2020, a documentary titled AKA Jane Roe aired on FX, describing McCorvey's life and the financial incentives to change her views on abortion.
[5] In an interview conducted for the film shortly before her death, in what she referred to as her "deathbed confession", McCorvey said her anti-abortion activism had been "all an act", which she did because she was paid, stating that she did not care whether a woman got an abortion.
[44] Schenck said that he was surprised that McCorvey said she favored abortion rights, although he said that he knew she "harboured doubts about the pro-life message she was telegraphing".
I was her spiritual guide for 22 years, received her into the Catholic Church, kept regular contact, spoke with her the day she died, and conducted her funeral.
"[47] Abby Johnson, who worked for Planned Parenthood before joining the anti-abortion movement, said that McCorvey called her on the phone days before her death to express remorse for abortion.