Which case extended privacy rights to consensual, intimate conduct in private between adults?

• A. Bowers v. Hardwick
• B. Lawrence v. Texas
• C. Roe v. Wade
• D. Griswold v. Connecticut

Answer: (B)

The main concept being tested is the protection of private, consensual intimate conduct from government intrusion. In Lawrence v. Texas, the Court held that adults have a right to engage in intimate sexual activity in the privacy of their homes without state interference. It struck down a statute that criminalized sodomy, explaining that moral disapproval alone isn’t a justification for infringing on individuals’ liberty to make private decisions about intimate conduct. This ruling overruled the earlier decision in Bowers v. Hardwick, which had allowed criminal penalties for such conduct, and it clarified that privacy rights extend to consensual activity between adults, regardless of sexual orientation.

The other cases address different privacy issues: Griswold v. Connecticut is about the right of married couples to use contraception, and Roe v. Wade concerns a woman's right to abortion. Neither specifically targets consensual private intimate conduct between adults in the same way Lawrence does, making Lawrence v. Texas the best fit.