Assignment Paper

Please review your textbook reading, Roe v. Wade and Stenberg v. Carhart carefully. Then, please discuss the following questions:

1. The Court in Roe v. Wade, and all courts subsequently have refused to clearly define when life begins. The Court in Roe indicated a time in the fetal development when abortions should be elective and when they should not. What time did they indicate as the cutoff for elective abortion? Does this timeframe seem to be a logical decision? Why or why not?

2. Roe v. Wade, along with many other cases that shaped America’s current abortion laws, discuss legitimate and illegitimate state interests. What State interests were appropriate and what state interests were not appropriate?

3. Planned Parenthood v. Casey upheld Roe, but rejected its three-trimester framework in favor of a different standard. What standard did PPH v. Casey set for abortion regulations moving forward? What has been determined not to be an undue burden since Casey?

4. What reasoning did the proponents of the D&X procedure use to advocate for the use of the D&X procedure over the use of the D&E procedure for late-term abortion in Stenberg v. Carhart? Did the Supreme Court ultimately allow the use of the D&X procedure in this case? What reasoning did they provide for their decision?

5. Under Roe v. Wade and subsequent decisions, must a state impose any regulation on abortion? If a state wanted to allow elective abortion through the third trimester, could they do so legally? Why or why not?