What did Roe v. Wade hold regarding state bans on abortion?

What did Roe v. Wade hold regarding state bans on abortion?

• A. A state ban on all abortions is unconstitutional.
• B. The state may ban abortion in the first trimester.
• C. Abortion rights are not protected by privacy.
• D. The Court did not address abortion.

Answer: (A)

Roe v. Wade protects a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion as a fundamental liberty tied to privacy under the Due Process Clause. That protection means a state cannot ban abortions outright, particularly in the early stages of pregnancy. The Court outlined a trimester framework—strict protection in the first trimester, more leeway for regulation in the second, and allowed prohibitions after viability with exceptions to protect the mother’s life or health. So a blanket ban on all abortions would be unconstitutional because it would violate the protected right to choose in early pregnancy. The other statements miss the ruling: Roe does not permit a state ban in the first trimester, abortion rights are indeed protected by privacy, and the Court did address abortion.

Roe v. Wade protects a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion as a fundamental liberty tied to privacy under the Due Process Clause. That protection means a state cannot ban abortions outright, particularly in the early stages of pregnancy. The Court outlined a trimester framework—strict protection in the first trimester, more leeway for regulation in the second, and allowed prohibitions after viability with exceptions to protect the mother’s life or health. So a blanket ban on all abortions would be unconstitutional because it would violate the protected right to choose in early pregnancy. The other statements miss the ruling: Roe does not permit a state ban in the first trimester, abortion rights are indeed protected by privacy, and the Court did address abortion.