The 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade is associated with recognizing which constitutional right?

• A. Plessy v. Ferguson
• B. Brown v. Board of Education
• C. Roe v. Wade
• D. Obergefell v. Hodges

Answer: (C)

The idea being tested is the recognition of a constitutional right to privacy that includes a woman’s decision to terminate a pregnancy. In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court held that the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment protects a liberty interest in personal privacy, which extends to a woman’s choice to have an abortion. This privacy protection is not unlimited, but it established that states cannot ban abortion in the early stages of pregnancy and may regulate as the pregnancy progresses, balancing the woman’s rights with state interests in prenatal life and maternal health. The other cases cited address different issues—Plessy v. Ferguson about racial segregation, Brown v. Board of Education about ending segregation in schools, and Obergefell v. Hodges about same-sex marriage—so Roe v. Wade is the one specifically linked to recognizing the abortion-related right to privacy.