Sandra Cano (Mary Doe)

Sandra Cano (born 1944, sometimes referred to as Mary Doe in legal documents) was a plaintiff in the 1973 United States Supreme Court case Doe v. Bolton, a companion case to Roe v. Wade. While Roe v. Wade focused on a woman's right to an abortion, Doe v. Bolton challenged Georgia's abortion laws as being unduly restrictive.

Cano, an unmarried and indigent woman pregnant with her third child, sought an abortion but was unable to obtain one legally in Georgia. She was represented by Margie Pitts Hames. The lawsuit challenged the constitutionality of the Georgia law that required abortions to be approved by a hospital abortion committee, found to be medically necessary, and confirmed by two licensed physicians.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of "Mary Doe," finding that Georgia's restrictions on abortion were unconstitutional because they violated a woman's right to privacy under the Fourteenth Amendment. This ruling, along with Roe v. Wade, significantly impacted abortion access in the United States.

Later in life, Cano became a vocal opponent of abortion, claiming she was misled by her attorneys and never understood that the lawsuit would lead to the legalization of abortion. She unsuccessfully attempted to overturn the Doe v. Bolton ruling. Her story highlights the complex and often deeply personal perspectives surrounding the abortion debate.