Roe v. Wade recognized a right to abortion rooted in which constitutional principle, and in which part of pregnancy did it protect abortion?

Roe v. Wade recognized a right to abortion rooted in which constitutional principle, and in which part of pregnancy did it protect abortion?

• A. States can ban abortion in all trimesters
• B. The right to privacy includes a woman's right to choose abortion in early trimesters
• C. The Court banned abortion nationwide
• D. Abortion regulation is solely a state matter with no federal protection

Answer: (B)

The key idea tested is that Roe v. Wade anchors abortion rights in the constitutional right to privacy protected by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. That privacy right is interpreted to protect a woman’s ability to choose whether to terminate a pregnancy in the early stages. In Roe, the Supreme Court held that during the first trimester the decision to terminate is left to the woman and her doctor, free from state bans. The reason this is the best answer is that it ties the abortion right to a recognized privacy liberty and locates protection specifically in the early part of pregnancy. The other statements conflict with this framework: Roe did not permit a nationwide ban on abortion, nor did it declare abortion entirely a state matter with no federal protection.

The key idea tested is that Roe v. Wade anchors abortion rights in the constitutional right to privacy protected by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. That privacy right is interpreted to protect a woman’s ability to choose whether to terminate a pregnancy in the early stages. In Roe, the Supreme Court held that during the first trimester the decision to terminate is left to the woman and her doctor, free from state bans. The reason this is the best answer is that it ties the abortion right to a recognized privacy liberty and locates protection specifically in the early part of pregnancy. The other statements conflict with this framework: Roe did not permit a nationwide ban on abortion, nor did it declare abortion entirely a state matter with no federal protection.