'Roe' and 'Doe' Tell Their Stories

Norma McCorvey, the "Jane Roe" of the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion, and Sandra Cano, the "Mary Doe" of the companion case, Doe v. Bolton, which broadened abortion rights, are now on the pro-life speaking circuit.

At their first joint appearance recently in Chicago, both women told of being pawns used by abortion activists in the test cases before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1973. McCorvey, a single mother, lied about the pregnancy and said she had been raped. Cano's husband was in jail, and her two other children were in foster care. "I didn't have anyone to help me," Cano said.

Both women said their own mothers had been unsupportive. They ended up not having abortions, instead having the children placed into adoptive families.

During later years, McCorvey was drawn into the occult, drug abuse, and lesbianism. She made a Christian commitment last year while working as marketing director for a North Dallas abortion facility (CT, Sept. 11, 1995, p. 70). Operation Rescue National (OR) had moved its headquarters next door. McCorvey now is a clerk for OR.

"Ultimately, God is the one who changes hearts," McCorvey, 48, told CT at an April 20 Pro-Life Action League conference. "A Christian witness is the biggest tool in effecting change. I didn't know pro-lifers were so nice."

McCorvey kept a low profile after her conversion last July. Now, after being discipled, she is speaking out more frequently about her newfound faith and her changed views on abortion.