Aborting Precedent: A Review of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Decision

In June of 2022, the United States Supreme Court announced a decision to abandon the abortion precedents established by Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey in favor of new standards on abortion regulation and permissibility. The Court, through its ruling in Dobbs v. Women’s Health Organization, discarded almost 50 years of long-standing case law and returned the power to regulate abortion procedures at any and all stages to the state. While proponents of the decision agree with the Court’s reasoning, many opponents argue that the abdication of precedent is unwarranted and dangerous. This thesis reviews the Dobbs case in its entirety with sections dedicated to the issue’s history, the majority opinion, and the dissenting opinion; finally, the decision is analyzed from a legal standpoint to determine if the Court was justified in its decision to overrule Roe v. Wade.