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From Suffrage to the Senate America's Political Women: An Encyclopedia of Leaders, Causes & Issues

Thornburgh v. American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (1986)

In Thornburgh v. American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected four provisions of the Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act of 1982 on the basis that they subordinated a woman’s privacy interests and concerns in an effort to dissuade her from having an abortion. The invalidated provisions called for a physician to tell a woman seeking an abortion that the father had a financial responsibility for the support of a child and that medical assistance could be available if she chose to continue the pregnancy. The physician was also required to inform the woman of any physical, medical, or psychological risks involved in the abortion. Another rejected provision required the physician to report the identity of the physicians involved in the procedure and information that would permit the ready identification of the woman who had the abortion. The last provision required, in post-viability abortions, that two physicians be in attendance; in addition, the physicians had to use the abortion technique most likely to preserve the life of the fetus, even if it placed the woman at risk, and there was no exception for emergency abortions, which also placed the woman’s life at risk.

The Court overturned part of Thornburgh when it decided Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey (1992) and permitted states to require informed consent.

See also: Abortion; Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health; Bellotti v. Baird; Bray v. Alexandria Clinic; Colautti v. Franklin; Doe v. Bolton; Harris v. McRae; Hodgson v. Minnesota; Ohio v. Akron Center; Planned Parenthood Association of Kansas City, Mo. v. Ashcroft; Planned Parenthood of Central Missouri v. Danforth; Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey; Poelker v. Doe

References: Thornburgh v. American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 476 U.S. 747 (1986).

Citation Types

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Format
MLA 9th
"Thornburgh V. American College Of Obstetrics And Gynecology (1986)." From Suffrage to the Senate America's Political Women: An Encyclopedia of Leaders, Causes & Issues, edited by Suzanne O’Dea, Salem Press, 2019. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=Suffrage3e_0928.
APA 7th
Thornburgh v. American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (1986). From Suffrage to the Senate America's Political Women: An Encyclopedia of Leaders, Causes & Issues, In S. O’Dea (Ed.), Salem Press, 2019. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=Suffrage3e_0928.
CMOS 17th
"Thornburgh V. American College Of Obstetrics And Gynecology (1986)." From Suffrage to the Senate America's Political Women: An Encyclopedia of Leaders, Causes & Issues, Edited by Suzanne O’Dea. Salem Press, 2019. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=Suffrage3e_0928.