Baker v. State (Baker v. Massachusetts)

Baker v. Massachusetts was a case where the U.S. Supreme Court reviewed whether states could require parental consent for minors seeking an abortion. Massachusetts had a law that mandated parental approval before a minor could have an abortion, with certain exceptions. The Court upheld the state's authority, ruling that states could impose such requirements as long as they included safeguards to protect minors, like judicial bypass options. The decision reinforced states’ rights to regulate abortion procedures, balancing minors' rights with parental involvement concerns, without fully endorsing or banning abortion in general.