Abortion And American Legal System In Roe v. Wade the United States government gave women the right to have an abortion. However, all court cases since have chipped away at women’s reproductive rights. The first case was Webster v. Reproductive Health Services. This case is the provision making it unlawful for a public employee to perform or assist in an abortion or for a public facility to be used to perform an abortion unless the mother’s life is in danger. In a similar case entitled Harris v. McRae, the court withheld federal funds under Medicaid programs for reimbur