April 22, 1992: Planned Parenthood v. Casey Heard by U.S. Supreme Court

On April 22, 1992, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a pivotal case that would reshape abortion rights in the United States. The arguments marked a critical moment in the legal battle over reproductive freedom, with the Court’s eventual decision months later becoming one of the most consequential in American jurisprudence.

The case originated in Pennsylvania, where state legislators had passed the Abortion Control Act of 1982, imposing several restrictions on abortion access. These included a 24-hour waiting period, mandatory informed consent for patients, parental consent for minors, and spousal notification for married women. Planned Parenthood and other health providers challenged the law, arguing it violated the constitutional right to privacy established in Roe v. Wade (1973).

The Supreme Court’s eventual ruling, issued on June 29, 1992, upheld the core of Roe v. Wade by reaffirming a constitutional right to abortion before fetal viability. However, the Court also introduced a new legal standard—the undue burden test—to evaluate abortion restrictions. Under this framework, laws that place a substantial obstacle in the path of a woman seeking an abortion are unconstitutional.

The decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey allowed Pennsylvania’s 24-hour waiting period and informed consent requirements to stand but struck down the spousal notification provision as an undue burden. The ruling was a compromise that preserved abortion rights while permitting states to regulate the procedure more strictly than under Roe.

The case was argued before the Supreme Court on April 22, 1992, with Solicitor General Kenneth W. Starr representing the U.S. government and Kathryn Kolbert and Lawrence S. Robbins arguing on behalf of Planned Parenthood. The Court’s decision, authored by a 5-4 majority, was a landmark in constitutional law, influencing abortion jurisprudence for decades.