Beal, Secretary, Department of Public Welfare of Pennsylvania, et al. v. Doe et al.

Decided June 20, 1977. Lewis Franklin Powell Jr. delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 75-554 · 432 U.S. 438 (1977) · Cited 390 times

We don’t yet publish a summary of this opinion — read the official text below for the Court’s holding and reasoning.

How the Justices voted

Decided 6–3.

“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.

Precedents cited

Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.

• Roe v. Wade · 410 U.S. 113 (1973)
• Massachusetts Board of Retirement v. Murgia · 427 U.S. 307 (1976)
• Doe v. Bolton · 410 U.S. 179 (1973)
• Singleton v. Wulff · 428 U.S. 106 (1976)
• San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez · 411 U.S. 1 (1973)
• Jefferson v. Hackney · 406 U.S. 535 (1972)
• Brown v. Board of Education · 347 U.S. 483 (1954)
• Dandridge v. Williams · 397 U.S. 471 (1970)
• Washington v. Davis · 426 U.S. 229 (1976)
• Ashwander v. Tennessee Valley Authority · 297 U.S. 288 (1936)
• Blue Chip Stamps v. Manor Drug Stores · 421 U.S. 723 (1975)
• Eisenstadt v. Baird · 405 U.S. 438 (1972)
• Red Lion Broadcasting Co. v. Federal Communications Commission · 395 U.S. 367 (1969)
• Smith v. Organization of Foster Families for Equality & Reform · 431 U.S. 816 (1977)
• Planned Parenthood of Central Missouri v. Danforth · 428 U.S. 52 (1976)
• Milliken v. Bradley · 418 U.S. 717 (1974)
• Bellotti v. Baird · 428 U.S. 132 (1976)
• New York State Department of Social Services v. Dublino · 413 U.S. 405 (1973)
• Smith v. Bennett · 365 U.S. 708 (1961)
• Townsend v. Swank · 404 U.S. 282 (1971)
• Federal Power Commission v. Louisiana Power & Light Co. · 406 U.S. 621 (1972)
• United States v. Vuitch · 402 U.S. 62 (1971)

Cited by

Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.

• Harris v. McRae · 448 U.S. 297 (1980)
• City of Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health, Inc. · 462 U.S. 416 (1983)
• Thornburgh v. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists · 476 U.S. 747 (1986)
• Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America v. Walsh, Acting Commissioner, Maine Department of Human Services · 538 U.S. 644 (2003)
• Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. v. Casey · 505 U.S. 833 (1992)
• Flagg Bros., Inc. v. Brooks · 436 U.S. 149 (1978)
• Alexander v. Choate · 469 U.S. 287 (1985)
• Colautti v. Franklin · 439 U.S. 379 (1979)
• Webster v. Reproductive Health Services · 492 U.S. 490 (1989)
• Michael M. v. Superior Court of Sonoma County · 450 U.S. 464 (1981)
• Ohio v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health · 497 U.S. 502 (1990)
• Planned Parenthood Assn. of Kansas City, Mo., Inc. v. Ashcroft · 462 U.S. 476 (1983)

Official text

Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)

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Lewis Franklin Powell Jr.’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court

Source: the U.S. Reports via govinfo.gov; authoring Justice and vote lineup from the Supreme Court Database (Washington University). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).