American courts have established a number of important precedents that helped define the direction of both American society and law. This short paper describes the outcome and initial controversy of the case of Roe vs. Wade, which provided an important precedent for both American law and the people. A precedent can be defined as a "legal principle, created by a court decision, which provides an example or authority for judges deciding similar issues later" ('Letric Law Library). Precedents set by the U.S. Supreme Court are especially influential as they are generally binding on all lower courts throughout the country, in addition to influencing all of the citizens of the nation.

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Wade 410 u.s. 113, which was decided in 1973. Prior to the court's decision, abortion was illegal in the State of Texas, unless obtained with medical advice for the purpose of saving a mother's life.
Ultimately, the court decided that abortion statutes infringed upon the Fourteenth and Ninth Amendment rights of the plaintiffs, and that the statues were vague in nature. As a result, abortion was no longer illegal in the United States. The decision of the Supreme Court in Roe vs.…