Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization

Two landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases established legal standards related to abortion. Under Roe v. Wade (1973), the Court ruled that a woman has a fundamental right to an abortion. Because of this “fundamental” designation, all future legal challenges to it would be considered with “strict scrutiny,” the highest legal bar of review, by courts. Under Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), the Court considered Roe and ruled a state can only regulate abortion before fetal viability insofar as the regulation does not impose an “undue burden” on the right to abortion. The Dobbs case tests these legal standards. Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy runs headlong into this framework and tests the limits and durability of the fundamental right to abortion under Roe and Casey.

Classroom Case Study>>>

This classroom case study provides:

• background on the legal issues in the case;
• facts of the case;
• key legal definitions;
• argument summaries for the petitioner and respondent; and
• focus questions for fostering classroom discussion

The classroom case study was modified from PREVIEW of United States Supreme Court Cases. It can be used for teacher reference and provides a more detailed look at the case.