Roe v. Wade is about which constitutional issue?

Roe v. Wade is about which constitutional issue?

• A. Declared abortion a crime nationwide.
• B. Established that abortion decisions are entirely up to state law with no federal review.
• C. Recognized a right to privacy that protects a woman's right to choose an abortion, subject to certain limits.
• D. Authorized states to ban abortion entirely.

Answer: (C)

The main idea being tested is how the Constitution protects privacy rights in the context of abortion and how that right is balanced against state interests. Roe v. Wade held that there is a right to privacy implied by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which extends to a woman’s decision to terminate a pregnancy. That right isn’t unlimited; the state can regulate abortion to protect the woman’s health and the potential life as the pregnancy progresses, hence the idea of limits. This ruling builds on the privacy framework established in Griswold v. Connecticut and uses a balancing approach rather than leaving abortion entirely to state law or making it a nationwide crime. Therefore, recognizing a right to privacy that protects a woman's right to choose an abortion, subject to certain limits, is the best description.

The main idea being tested is how the Constitution protects privacy rights in the context of abortion and how that right is balanced against state interests. Roe v. Wade held that there is a right to privacy implied by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which extends to a woman’s decision to terminate a pregnancy. That right isn’t unlimited; the state can regulate abortion to protect the woman’s health and the potential life as the pregnancy progresses, hence the idea of limits. This ruling builds on the privacy framework established in Griswold v. Connecticut and uses a balancing approach rather than leaving abortion entirely to state law or making it a nationwide crime. Therefore, recognizing a right to privacy that protects a woman's right to choose an abortion, subject to certain limits, is the best description.