"Indeed, an entire generation of Americans has grown to adulthood since the Roe decision of 1973, which held that the right to choose an abortion was a privacy right protected by our Constitution"
About this Quote
The phrasing also does sly work. “Indeed” carries the tone of a patient prosecutor, as if the facts have been entered into evidence and denial is no longer credible. Then he anchors abortion rights in Roe’s core rationale: “a privacy right protected by our Constitution.” That’s a strategic choice. He doesn’t lean on contested moral claims or policy outcomes; he leans on the Constitution, the kind of authority that’s supposed to settle arguments in American civic life.
Subtext: legitimacy accrues through time. Casey, a Democrat who was personally anti-abortion, often navigated the party’s internal civil war on the issue. Invoking “privacy” lets him speak in a language broad enough to include people who may be uneasy about abortion but wary of state power, surveillance, and forced intimacy. It’s an appeal to stability: you can debate the practice, but you can’t pretend the right hasn’t become part of the country’s operating system since 1973.
Quote Details
| Topic | Human Rights |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Casey, Robert. (2026, January 16). Indeed, an entire generation of Americans has grown to adulthood since the Roe decision of 1973, which held that the right to choose an abortion was a privacy right protected by our Constitution. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/indeed-an-entire-generation-of-americans-has-101669/
Chicago Style
Casey, Robert. "Indeed, an entire generation of Americans has grown to adulthood since the Roe decision of 1973, which held that the right to choose an abortion was a privacy right protected by our Constitution." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/indeed-an-entire-generation-of-americans-has-101669/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Indeed, an entire generation of Americans has grown to adulthood since the Roe decision of 1973, which held that the right to choose an abortion was a privacy right protected by our Constitution." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/indeed-an-entire-generation-of-americans-has-101669/. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
