Roe v. Wade recognized a constitutional right to abortion; which later case overturned it and returned regulation to the states?

Roe v. Wade recognized a constitutional right to abortion; which later case overturned it and returned regulation to the states?

• A. Established that abortion is not protected by the Constitution; later overturned by Brown v. Board.
• B. Recognized a constitutional right to abortion; later overturned by Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health.
• C. Created a constitutional right to privacy but not abortion; later reaffirmed in Casey.
• D. Uphold states' rights to ban abortion; later overturned by Planned Parenthood v. Casey.

Answer: (B)

The question tests the sequence of major abortion-rights rulings: Roe v. Wade established a constitutional right to abortion, and that right was later overturned, returning regulation to the states, by Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. Roe linked abortion privacy to the liberty protected by the Due Process Clause, creating a nationwide right. In Dobbs, the Court overruled Roe (and Casey) and held that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion, leaving the question to state law. That makes the statement describing Roe as recognizing a constitutional right and Dobbs as overturning it the correct one. The other options mix up the holdings: Brown v. Board addressed racial segregation, not abortion; Casey reaffirmed Roe rather than overturning it; Planned Parenthood v. Casey did not overturn Roe; Dobbs did overturn Roe, not in the way described by the others.