Roe v. Wade: Its Significance to the LGBT Community

January 22, 2008, marks the 35th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade. The ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project is using the anniversary to explain to people the incredible importance of the right to reproductive freedom for other civil liberties, including LGBT rights.

The centerpiece of the effort is a video featuring ACLU attorneys discussing Roe's significance. Louise Melling, director of the Reproductive Freedom Project, explains the case and frames the conversation. Matt Coles, director of the LGBT & AIDS Project, explains the sweeping constitutional principle that Roe established, what it would mean to lose it and what it would mean to fully realize it. The video also features Lenora Lapidus, director of the Women’s Rights Project; Dennis Parker, director of the Racial Justice Program; Judy Rabinovitz, senior staff attorney with the Immigrants’ Rights Project; and Jamil Dakwar, advocacy director of the Human Rights Program.