Sarah Weddington is well known for successfully arguing the Roe V. Wade abortion rights issue well before United States Supreme Court in 1973.
She was born in Abilene, Texas, and graduated law school at the University of Texas in one of just 40 female students out of 1,600.
She started her practise in 1970 and almost instantly joined forces with Dallas lawyer Linda Coffee on the Roe v. Wade lawsuit to protect their client’s right to abortion.
In 1972, she was elected to the Texas House of Representatives. One of her first moves was to amend the law that prohibited women from obtaining credit cards in their own names.
Weddington became chief counsel for the Department of Agriculture in Washington when Jimmy Carter was elected President.
In 1978, she was appointed as the president’s counsellor on women’s problems, and she eventually became a member of the White House senior staff.
After Carter was defeated in re-election, Weddington returned to Austin and continued her legal career.
She taught at the University of Texas in Austin about women and leadership till her sudden death.
Sarah Weddington death: What is the cause of her death?
Weddington’s death was verified by a former pupil who is currently running for Texas Agriculture Commissioner, as well as a relative. Her cousin, Pete Weddington, stated in a statement that the cause of death had not been identified. She was 76 years old.
