The Judicial Branch Of Government: Significance Of The Judiciary In shaping One Area Of Public Policy: Abortion

Question 1

What are some important Supreme Court case in terms of abortion?

Answer 1

Roe V Wade (1973)
Planned Parenthood V Casey (1992)
Gonzales V Carhart (2007)
Whole Women’s Health V Hellerstedt (2016)

Question 2

Explain Roe V Wade (1973)?

Answer 2

21 year old Norma McCorvey and two young female lawyers challenged Texas denying her a right to abortion, the court ruling 7-2 that women had an unrestricted right to an abortion in the first stage (trimester) of pregnancy

Question 3

What is Planned Parenthood V Casey (1992)?

Answer 3

Health provider and non-profit Planned Parenthood challenged the right of Robert Casey, the governor of the State of Pennsylvania, to introduce several regulation on abortions, though the Court had decided not to overturn Roe

Question 4

What is Gonzales V Carhart (2007)?

Answer 4

This was a challenge by doctors to the Partial-Brith Abortion Ban Act 2003, which had been passed by Congress and signed into Law by W. Bush, with a 5-4 decision in the Court upholding the ban reducing women’s rights to aboirtions, with all 5 justices voting to uphold the ban being Catholic

Question 5

What is Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt?

Answer 5

Conservatives used the start to legislation to reduce access to abortions, with the Targeted Regulation of Abortion providers (TRAP) laws part of this strategy, with this case being a challenge to several TRAP laws, with the Court ruling 5-3 that these restriction placed an ‘undue burden’ on women by failing to provide a medical benefit significant enough to justify limiting access to abortion