Roe v. Wade (1973)

In this personal liberty case, the Court held that “the right of personal privacy includes the abortion decision.” States could not ban the procedure within the first trimester and varying levels of state interest in regulating the procedure in later pregnancy were defined.

The Court based its decision in part on the right to privacy found in Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) and the Fourteenth Amendment’s due process clause.

This case touched on constitutional principles including federalism and liberty.