Which case established that the right to privacy is broad enough to include a woman's decision to terminate a pregnancy?

• A. Griswold v. Connecticut
• B. Roe v. Wade
• C. Webster v. Reproductive Health Services
• D. Planned Parenthood v. Casey

Answer: (B)

The central idea tested is how privacy rights protect a woman's decision to terminate a pregnancy. The Supreme Court tied privacy to the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and held that this right to privacy covers intimate personal decisions, including whether to have an abortion. The case that first established that broad privacy protection for choosing an abortion is Roe v. Wade. It held that, in the early stages of pregnancy, a woman has the right to decide to terminate, with the state’s power to regulate or restrict abortion increasing as the pregnancy advances in line with competing interests in maternal health and potential life. For context, Griswold v. Connecticut had earlier recognized a privacy principle in matters of contraception, helping lay the groundwork; Planned Parenthood v. Casey later reaffirmed Roe’s essential holding but changed the framework to undue burden, while Webster v. Reproductive Health Services allowed additional state regulation without overturning Roe. Still, the case that established the broad privacy right to choose abortion is Roe v. Wade.