Jane Roe, a 22-year-old Nebraska inmate, wanted an abortion. Knowing that the state had a ban on the procedure after 22 weeks, she quickly alerted prison officials so she wouldn’t miss her window.
Inexplicably, officials rejected the request, even though it was a legally protected part of the medical care those inside Nebraska Correction Center for Women could access. She made more requests, which were also denied. After one, officials said they couldn’t go through with the procedure because Jane had to pay for it herself, and there was a 21-day freeze on money going to inmates. Soon, factoring in the state’s mandatory waiting period and counseling periods before an abortion, she was inching towards the legal cutoff date.
