Which Supreme Court decision changed the legal status of elective abortions in 1973?

Which Supreme Court decision changed the legal status of elective abortions in 1973?

• A. Roe V. Wade
• B. Informed consent
• C. Confidentiality, fidelity and trust
• D. Embryonic (pluripotent)

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that this Supreme Court ruling made elective abortion a federally protected right by recognizing a woman’s right to privacy as encompassing her decision to terminate a pregnancy. The court held that the Constitution implies a right to privacy that extends to a woman's choice, at least in the early stages of pregnancy. Because of that, states could not outright ban abortions nationwide in those early months, though they could regulate the procedure as pregnancy progressed. The decision set up a framework where the state’s interest in potential life and the woman’s health were weighed, with more latitude for regulation as the pregnancy advances and viability becomes a factor. This shift changed abortion from largely a matter of state criminal law into an issue governed by constitutional rights at the national level. This topic isn’t about informed consent procedures, ethical principles like confidentiality or fidelity, or embryonic biology. Those are different concepts and do not address the legal status of elective abortions in 1973.

The main idea here is that this Supreme Court ruling made elective abortion a federally protected right by recognizing a woman’s right to privacy as encompassing her decision to terminate a pregnancy. The court held that the Constitution implies a right to privacy that extends to a woman's choice, at least in the early stages of pregnancy. Because of that, states could not outright ban abortions nationwide in those early months, though they could regulate the procedure as pregnancy progressed. The decision set up a framework where the state’s interest in potential life and the woman’s health were weighed, with more latitude for regulation as the pregnancy advances and viability becomes a factor. This shift changed abortion from largely a matter of state criminal law into an issue governed by constitutional rights at the national level.

This topic isn’t about informed consent procedures, ethical principles like confidentiality or fidelity, or embryonic biology. Those are different concepts and do not address the legal status of elective abortions in 1973.