happened. >> reporter: shelley, now 51, is the biological child of norma mckorvey, better known as jane roe landmark supreme court case roe v. wade. norma was pregnant with shelley when she sued for the right to have an abortio in texas in the early '70s. even though she won, because it took longer for two years than the case to be decided, norma gave shelley up for adoption. when you are able to think about the idea that your mere conception brought about arguably the most controversial supreme court ruling in history -- >> uh-huh. >> what's the impact on you now? >> now i understand it has nothing to do with me. it just happened to be me. >> reporter: norma, who died in 2017, was a complicated firebrand in public, and her daughter says the same was true in private. how would you describe norma? >> very self-centered. it was all about her. >> reporter: now shelley, who for years was not known publicly, is breaking her silence in her first broad cast interview. >> why are you deciding to tell your story now? >> it's time. >> reporter: although roe v. wade legalized abortion, the controversy

and they said, "well, she was jane roe." and i was like, okay. and they were like, so, that makes you the roe baby. and i was like -- oh, that's interesting. okay. >> reporter: she says the reporters pushed for an interview and wanted to reunite shelly with her biological mother, but shelly refused. what's your emotional state like at this point? >> well, at this point, i'm just kind of in shock. my whole thinking is that, oh, god, everybody's going to hate me, because everyone's going to blame me for abortion being legal. >> reporter: now, all these years later, the supreme court is poised to hear a major new abortion case that could overturn roe v. wade. do you have an opinion about whether women should be allowed to have abortions? >> i do. it's an opinion that i keep pretty close to my chest. i'm not going to let either side use me for their advantage. >> and linsey with us now. just a fascinating interview. and you and i were talking -- i know she does not want to be part of history on this. in fact, she said in so many words, don't read into

. >> reporter: shelley thornton's biological mother was jane roe. immediately she gave thornton up for adoption. thornton says while she had no part in the controversial ruling, it's been a burden her entire life. >> my whole thinking is, oh, god, everybody is going to halt me because everybody is going to blame me for abortion being legal. >> reporter: now almost 50 years later, this session of the high court is expected to determine if it stays that way. the justices already working under an intense spotlight right now. a gallup poll last month shows that americans' opinion of the high court are at an all-time low with an approval rating of just 40%. jay gray, nbc news, washington. >> jay, thank you. the justices won't hear arguments in that mississippi abortion case until october 24. we say this is an extraordinary caseload for the supreme court. how often does this type of caseload happen? >> it's extraordinary because first of all they're very volatile issues, some of them. abortion, capital punishment will be one of them, gun rights, giving pu

abc's linsey davis spoke exclusively to jane roe's daughter and the child at the center of the landmark case. >> i understand that it has nothing to do with me. it doesn't revolve around me. i wasn't the one who, like, created this law. i'm not the one who created this movement. >> and later on "good morning reaction when she learned she r- was the anonymous baby roe. >>> president biden's economic agenda remains in limbo with democrats divided over his $3.5 trilli $3.5 trillion spending package. progressives acknowledge they have to trim the price tag, but they're clashing with moderates after being forced to delay a vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill. democrats say they hope to pass both bills by halloween. >>> and turning to the pandemic, the nation's largest school district begins enforcing the vaccine mandate today. an overwhelming majority of teachers have received at least one shot. meanwhile, dr. anthony fauci is making headlines for what he said about the upcoming holiday season. abc's dan lieberman has the story. >> reporter: with the u.s. death toll from covid now mor

jane roe as she became known, in 1971. that was two years before roe vs.ght to have an abortion. her identity was revealed just last month. this morning she gave her first ever television interview. >> it doesn't revolve around me. i wasn't the one who created this law. i'm not the one who created this movement. my whole thinking is that oh, god, everybody is going to hate me because everyone's going to blame me for abortion being legal. >> harris: dagen, what did you learn from watching parts of that? the whole interview was still coming out. >> dagen: shelly thornton represents life. i think looking back even a few years from now all, we will look at legalized abortion as many people already do as legal infanticide. and murder. it will be a stain, the fact that it's been legal for as long as it has been in so widely available. it will be a stain on this nation for centuries to come in the way that the eugenics movement was. my great aunt marguerite was sterilized against her will by the state of virginia because she was mentally disabled. that practice d

shelley lynn thornton said she's feeling like she's blamed for the actions of her mother, jane roe. >of people didn't know that i existed. >> reporter: for decades, she's been known simply as baby roe. now at 51 years old, shelley thornton is breaking her silence, talking exclusively to abc news in her first broadcast interview. >> your mere conception brought about arguably the most controversial supreme court ruling in history. >> mm-hmm. >> what's the impact on you now? >> it's -- it doesn't revolve around me. i wasn't the one who, like, created this law. i'm not the one who created this movement. >> reporter: her biological mother was norma mccorvey, aka jane roe, a cleaning woman from katy, texas. her desire to terminate that pregnancy caused her to file a lawsuit against the state of texas. she never did have that abortion, and by the time the supreme court ruled in her favor in 1973, the baby had already been adopted and was 2 1/2 years old. >> my whole thinking is that, oh, god. everybody is going to hate me because everyone's going to blame me for abortion being legal. >> wha

her biological mother was norma mccorvey, also known as jane roe. her desire to terminate her pregnancy caused her to file a lawsuit against the state of texas. by the time supreme court ruled in her favor, the baby had already been adopted and was 2.5 years old. that baby was shelley. >> my whole thinking is that a god, everybody is going to hate me because everyone is going to blame me for abortion being legal. reggie: you can watch more of that interview tonight at 8:00 p.m. >> the cdc has released holiday covid recommendations in an effort to help you and your family stay safe. your health is a key part of building a better bay area. we spoke with local families and doctors about how they are preparing for the upcoming celebrations. >> a pumpkin for you. little ones celebrating halloween early at the family farms pumpkin patch in alameda sunday after limited holiday celebrations last year. >> last halloween got canceled. onleere trick-or-treating. >> that is likely to change this year. children we talked with our more than a bit excited about th

. >> how she feels about her biological mother, jane roe. >> she doesn't deserve to be my mom. >> and

wade and jane roe of roe v. wade never had an abortion.f us in the public square of opinion, should the court protect innocent human life and demand that children deserve the same legal protection as anyone else or are they up to be killed, it is particularly tragic to think that yesterday there were thousands of women in the street marching for abortion, marching for the right to kill someone like shelley thorton when she was a baby, let that sink in, shelley is a human being like every single every one of those children and she deserves to live. >> so much has changed since 1973 when the landmark decision was made, back then women saw really grainy ultrasounds and hardly tell within the will and is pretty tough to deny the humidity of a fetus based on technology, how much is somebody in the pro-life movement fighting for the unborn and the most vulnerable among us in the most voiceless, some people who have no lobby other than people like you, what do you think the technology and what other devices are you using in your arsenal to fight