HKS Affiliated Authors

Summary

On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a 5-4 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, holding that the U.S. Constitution does not confer a right to abortion, thus overturning the Court's prior decisions in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. In the wake of the Dobbs v. Jackson decision, the future of abortion access, reproductive rights, and women's healthcare in America is unclear. Sarah Wald, a legal expert and adjunct lecturer in public policy at Harvard Kennedy School, discusses the impact of the decision, the legal questions that it leaves unanswered, and the possible implications for other rights that have been protected by the due process clause of the 14th amendment.