Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization

A 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision holding that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion and overruling Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.

Fourteenth Amendment: An amendment to the U.S. Constitution that guarantees citizenship, due process, and equal protection. The majority rejected the claim that its Due Process Clause protects a right to abortion.
Jackson Women’s Health Organization: A Mississippi abortion clinic that challenged the state’s 15-week abortion ban. The clinic was the plaintiff whose challenge brought the dispute before the Supreme Court.
Trigger law: A law designed to take effect automatically when a specified event or condition occurs. Several states had abortion bans designed to take effect after Roe was overruled.
Griswold v. Connecticut: A 1965 Supreme Court decision recognizing married couples’ constitutional right to use contraception. Justice Alito’s opinion said its reasoning concerned abortion and did not cast doubt on Griswold.
Comstock Act: A 19th-century federal law restricting the mailing of materials deemed obscene, including articles for producing abortion. Its possible reach over abortion medicines and equipment became a contested issue after Dobbs.
Substantive due process: A constitutional doctrine that protects certain fundamental rights from government interference. The opinion assessed abortion rights under this doctrine and found no basis for protection.
Gestational Age Act: A 2018 Mississippi law generally prohibiting abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The statute at issue directly conflicted with the pre-viability rule in Roe and Casey.
Abortion law in the United States: The federal and state laws governing abortion in the United States. After Dobbs, state law became the primary source of abortion restrictions and protections.
Lawrence v. Texas: A 2003 Supreme Court decision invalidating laws that criminalized consensual same-sex intimacy. The majority distinguished this liberty ruling, while Justice Thomas urged reconsidering it.
Dormant Commerce Clause: A doctrine limiting state laws that unduly burden or discriminate against interstate commerce. It raises questions about how far states can restrict abortion-related activity across state borders.

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