Anonymous Roe v. Wade plaintiff says she was paid to change her mind on abortion
Norma McCorvey, the once-anonymous plaintiff in Roe v. Wade, famously renounced abortion rights her after the case expanded them across the country. Except she didn't.
Just a few months before McCorvey died in 2017, she made a "deathbed confession" to interviewers for the forthcoming FX documentary AKA Jane Roe. "It was all an act," McCorvey said of her public anti-abortion stance following the Roe case, the Los Angeles Times reports ahead of the documentary's Friday premiere.
Years after Roe overturned abortion bans nationwide, McCorvey came out against abortion and spent the rest of her life trying to get the decision overturned. But as she says in the documentary, she only did so because anti-abortion groups such as Operation Rescue were paying her to do so. "I took their money and they'd put me out in front of the cameras and tell me what to say," McCorvey said. "It was all an act. I did it well, too. I am a good actress." McCorvey then revealed those anti-abortion groups never seemed to change her mind. "If a young woman wants to have an abortion, that's no skin off my ass. That's why they call it choice," McCorvey said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Rob Schenck, an evangelical minister and former leader of Operation Rescue, is among those who worked with McCorvey, and has also since distanced himself from the anti-abortion movement. He often wondered if McCorvey was "playing us," though he "knew damn well we were playing her." "What we did with Norma was highly unethical. The jig is up," he said in the documentary. Read more at the Los Angeles Times.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
7 beautiful towns to visit in Switzerland during the holidays
The Week Recommends Find bliss in these charming Swiss locales that blend the traditional with the modern
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Werewolf bill
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
'This needs to be a bigger deal'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published