Thornburgh, Governor of Pennsylvania, et al. v. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists et al.

Decided June 11, 1986. Harry Andrew Blackmun delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 84-495 · 476 U.S. 747 (1986) · Cited 526 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 5–4.

“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.

• City of Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health, Inc. · 462 U.S. 416 (1983)
• Roe v. Wade · 410 U.S. 113 (1973)
• Griswold v. Connecticut · 381 U.S. 479 (1965)
• Planned Parenthood of Central Missouri v. Danforth · 428 U.S. 52 (1976)
• Planned Parenthood Assn. of Kansas City, Mo., Inc. v. Ashcroft · 462 U.S. 476 (1983)
• University of Texas v. Camenisch · 451 U.S. 390 (1981)
• Moore v. City of East Cleveland · 431 U.S. 494 (1977)
• Smith v. Vulcan Iron Works · 165 U.S. 518 (1897)
• Colautti v. Franklin · 439 U.S. 379 (1979)
• Eisenstadt v. Baird · 405 U.S. 438 (1972)
• Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer · 343 U.S. 579 (1952)
• Meyer v. Nebraska · 262 U.S. 390 (1923)
• Harris v. McRae · 448 U.S. 297 (1980)
• Doran v. Salem Inn, Inc. · 422 U.S. 922 (1975)
• Carey v. Population Services International · 431 U.S. 678 (1977)
• Singleton v. Wulff · 428 U.S. 106 (1976)
• Skinner v. Oklahoma Ex Rel. Williamson · 316 U.S. 535 (1942)
• Maher v. Roe · 432 U.S. 464 (1977)
• Doe v. Bolton · 410 U.S. 179 (1973)
• Lochner v. New York · 198 U.S. 45 (1905)
• Poe v. Ullman · 367 U.S. 497 (1961)
• Brown v. Board of Education · 347 U.S. 483 (1954)
• Meachum v. Fano · 427 U.S. 215 (1976)
• Heckler v. Chaney · 470 U.S. 821 (1985)
• Whalen v. Roe · 429 U.S. 589 (1977)
• Hormel v. Helvering · 312 U.S. 552 (1941)
• Zwickler v. Koota · 389 U.S. 241 (1967)
• Jacobson v. Massachusetts · 197 U.S. 11 (1905)
• Bellotti v. Baird · 443 U.S. 622 (1979)
• Firefighters Local Union No. 1784 v. Stotts · 467 U.S. 561 (1984)

Cited by

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

• Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. v. Casey · 505 U.S. 833 (1992)
• Webster v. Reproductive Health Services · 492 U.S. 490 (1989)
• Stenberg v. Carhart · 530 U.S. 914 (2000)
• Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization · 597 U.S. 215 (2022)
• Rust v. Sullivan · 500 U.S. 173 (1991)
• Gonzales v. Carhart · 550 U.S. 124 (2007)
• Cruzan Ex Rel. Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health · 497 U.S. 261 (1990)
• National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra · 585 U.S. 755 (2018)
• Ohio v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health · 497 U.S. 502 (1990)
• Bowers v. Hardwick · 478 U.S. 186 (1986)
• Payne v. Tennessee · 501 U.S. 808 (1991)
• Hodgson v. Minnesota · 497 U.S. 417 (1990)
• Swint v. Chambers County Commission · 514 U.S. 35 (1995)
• Hill v. Colorado · 530 U.S. 703 (2000)
• Madsen v. Women's Health Center, Inc. · 512 U.S. 753 (1994)
• Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New Eng. · 546 U.S. 320 (2006)
• Legal Services Corp. v. Velazquez · 531 U.S. 533 (2001)
• Ramos v. Louisiana · 590 U.S. 83 (2020)

Official text

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

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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).