Roe v. Wade attorney to deliver Edith House Lecture

Abstract

Thursday, March 9, 2006

WRITER: Kristin Kissiah, 706/542-5172, lawcomm@uga.edu CONTACT: Lindsay Willis, lew525@hotmail.com

Roe v. Wade attorney to deliver Edith House Lecture

ATHENS, Ga. - Sarah Weddington, the winning attorney in the historic U.S. Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade, will deliver the University of Georgia School of Law's 24th Edith House Lecture, titled "Some Leaders Are Born Women." The lecture will be held Thursday, March 23, at 4:30 p.m. in the University Chapel. It is open to the public, and admission is free.

An accomplished lawyer, author and supporter of women's rights, Weddington currently practices law in Austin, Tex., and is an adjunct associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Her book detailing the Roe v. Wade case, A Question of Choice, became a bestseller, and she lectures regularly on abortion rights and women's issues.

In 1972, Weddington was the first woman from Austin elected to the Texas House of Representatives and, after winning Roe v. Wade in 1973, at the age of 26, she became the youngest woman ever to win a case in the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1977, she was appointed the U.S. Department of Agriculture's general counsel and, in 1983, served as the director of the Texas Office of State-Federal Relations. She was the first female to hold both of these positions as well. She also served as assistant to the president of the United States, where she directed the Carter administration's work regarding national gender issues.

Weddington's leadership as a women's rights advocate has continued into the 21st century, as she is a founding member of the Foundation for Women's Resources as well as the creator of The Women's Museum in Dallas.

Weddington earned her law degree from the University of Texas and is a Distinguished Alumna of McMurry University. She also holds honorary doctorates from McMurry University, Hamilton College, Austin College, Southwestern University and Nova Southeastern University.

The Edith House Lecture Series is hosted annually by the Women Law Students Association (WLSA) in honor of one of the first female graduates of the University of Georgia School of Law. House, a native of Winder, Ga., was co-valedictorian of the law class of 1925, the first class to graduate women.

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