📚 Topic Summary
The cases of Griswold v. Connecticut and Roe v. Wade are landmark Supreme Court decisions concerning the right to privacy. Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) overturned a Connecticut law that banned the use of contraceptives, establishing that the Constitution protects marital privacy. This case laid the groundwork for future privacy-based arguments.
Roe v. Wade (1973) extended this right to privacy to include a woman's decision to have an abortion. The Court ruled that the Constitution protects a woman's right to an abortion, although this right is not absolute and can be regulated by the state in certain ways, especially in later stages of pregnancy. These cases are foundational in understanding the evolution of privacy rights in the United States.
🧠 Part A: Vocabulary
Match the terms with their definitions:
| Term |
Definition |
| 1. Contraceptives |
A. The state of conforming to or being restrained by governing authority. |
| 2. Privacy |
B. The state of being free from public attention. |
| 3. Constitution |
C. Methods or devices used to prevent pregnancy. |
| 4. Compliance |
D. The basic principles and laws of a nation, state, or social group that determine the powers and duties of the government and guarantee certain rights to the people in it. |
| 5. Abortion |
E. The termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus. |
📝 Part B: Fill in the Blanks
Complete the following paragraph using the words provided: Roe, Griswold, privacy, Connecticut, Wade.
The Supreme Court case of ________ v. ________ (1965) challenged a law in ________ that prohibited the use of contraceptives. This case established a right to ________ that later influenced the ________ v. ________ (1973) decision, concerning abortion rights.
🤔 Part C: Critical Thinking
Explain how the concept of 'unenumerated rights' played a role in the Supreme Court's reasoning in Griswold v. Connecticut and Roe v. Wade. How did the court use the Ninth Amendment in both cases?