One of the most controversial court cases in American history is Roe v. Wade. Roe v. Wade officially made abortions legalized in the United States.
A little unknown fact is the baby at the center of the case never got aborted, but rather, she was adopted. The baby at the heart of Roe v. Wade has stayed silent until now.
According to the Daily Mail, Shelley Lynn Thornton, 51, was born in the state of Texas; this happened just before her mother Norma McCorvey (Jane Roe) was given a right to have an abortion.
After Thornton’s birth mother died in 2017, she decided it was time to let the world know and no longer hide the fact she was the baby being fought to be put to death in Roe v. Wade.
MONDAY: The baby at the center of the landmark Roe vs. Wade decision speaks with @LinseyDavis almost 50 years later in her first-ever TV interview.
Tune in to @ABCNewsLive at 7PM ET. pic.twitter.com/f96dWaAfhU
— ABC News Live (@ABCNewsLive) October 1, 2021
What Are Shelley Lynn Thornton’s Views on Abortion?
When asked about her position on abortion, she said it’s a complex issue. Thornton said when she was 20 years old, she decided to give birth to her first child and didn’t even think about getting an abortion.
She is now happily married with three children and has gone on record saying abortions are not who she is. Thornton was adopted by Ruth Schmidt and Billy Thornton and lived a peaceful life. However, she did say she grew up with depression because she felt as if she was never wanted by her birth mother.
Shelly and her adoptive parents never knew she was the baby of the high-profile lawsuit until 1989. This was when her birth mother Norma McCorvey (with the help of the National Inquirer) went on a search to look for the daughter she attempted to abort.
A private investigator ended up contacting Shelly; when she found out she was the baby in the Roe v. Wade case, she was devastated.
Every day that Roe v. Wade is left unchallenged is another day that more than 2,300 preborn babies are brutally and violently killed in the womb. That's not healthcare. https://t.co/5hdZdagwHA
— Students for Life Action (@SFLAction) September 27, 2021
Norma McCorvey (Jane Roe) Lied About Being Raped
Norma McCorvey admitted to a Dallas journalist in 1987 she fabricated the story about being raped by three men and a woman in order to legalize abortions in the United States. The journalist who conducted the interview was Carl T. Rowan.
She then went on to admit to Rowan she became pregnant by what she thought was called love until her partner left her. She then sought to get an abortion but was denied.
A lawsuit quickly ensued and her lawyers filed against Henery Wade, the Dallas County District Attorney. McCorvey’s name, however, was shielded and given the pseudonym “Jane Roe.”
According to McCorvey, she lied about being gang-raped because she believed this false story would lead the courts to have compassion for her and allow her to get an abortion. She also admitted it was out of desperation and frustration she made the false claims.
