U.S. Supreme Court Decisions - Roe V. Wade (Abortion and Privacy)

Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), was a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of abortion. The Court held that a woman's right to an abortion is determined by the stage of pregnancy, and the state cannot prohibit abortion before viability. After viability, the state cannot prohibit abortion if abortion "is necessary, in appropriate medical judgment, for the preservation of the life or health of the mother" as defined in the companion case of Doe v. Bolton.

The Court rested these conclusions on a constitutional right to privacy emanating from the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, also known as substantive due process.