Norma McCorvey, Woman Behind Landmark Roe v. Wade Ruling, Dies at 69

Norma McCorvey, the woman behind the 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling, has passed away in Katy, TX, at the age of 69, The Washington Post reports. Her death was caused by a heart ailment and was confirmed by Joshua Prager, a journalist who is working on a book about the Roe v. Wade case.

McCorvey, who lived at an assisted-living facility at the time of her death, was just 22 years old when she became pregnant with her first child. Unwed and unable to financially support a baby, McCorvey sought a way out of her pregnancy by filing a petition to the state of Texas to legalize abortions so that she could safely have the procedure done.

At the time, abortions were prohibited in Texas unless the mother's life was at risk. McCorvey took on the pseudonym Jane Roe when her case was brought to the US Supreme Court. It would take over two years before a decision was reached, and by then McCorvey had already given birth and gave her child up for adoption.

McCorvey became a born-again Christian after the ruling, and in 2004 she filed a petition to reverse the Supreme Court's decision about abortions, claiming that the procedure caused women "long-term emotional" harm. The petition was denied. McCorvey is survived by three children, two of which she gave up for adoption, and two grandchildren.