The argument of back-alley abortions was used to help make abortion legal in the United States. In 1973, the US Supreme Court decided that abortion should be legalized. It was treating a case called Roe v. Wade. Since then, it has become a central argument on the part of some prominent legal abortion advocates. Gerri Santoro died of blood loss after a back-alley abortion. Her photo was used extensively to illustrate the dangers of illegal abortions.