SARAH WEDDINGTON

Sarah Weddington was born on February 5, 1945 in Abilene, Texas and attended McMurry University in her hometown, graduating at 19 before studying law at the University of Texas at Austin. She married her husband Ron Weddington in 1968. Weddington filed Roe v. Wade in 1970 when she was working for a law professor shortly after graduating from law school. Her client was Norma McCorvey, a 22-year-old who wanted to end her pregnancy. McCorvey's lawyer introduced her to Weddington and Linda Coffee, another recent law school graduate who, like Weddington, believed that Texas' law banning abortions was written vaguely and violated a woman's right to privacy. Weddington argued the case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court twice and won both times. Weddington ran for the Texas Legislature, winning a seat in the House in 1972. In her first legislative session, she successfully passed a bill reforming Texas' sexual abuse laws and providing legal protection to rape victims, legislation she worked on with fellow House member Kay Bailey Hutchison. She resigned in 1977 to become the general counsel of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. From 1978 to 1981, she served as an assistant to President Jimmy Carter, directing the administration's work on women's issues. She then became the first woman to direct the Texas Office of State-Federal Relations in 1983, a position she held for two years. Weddington taught law courses at UT-Austin for 28 years. She also taught at Texas Woman’s University for 19 years. Weddington died on December 26, 2021 in Austin, Texas. 

"The only things that last forever are words."