June, bioethics and the Supreme Court

These decisions regarding the treatment of handicapped newborns and a woman's right to privacy in the abortion decision reflect the controversies in our society regarding decisions to treat severely defective newborns or to terminate a pregnancy. In the first decision, the court was divided 5 to 3. In the second decision, the court was divided 5 to 4. It is clear that we as a society are unclear about what a policy should be. In the end, however, constitutional rights to privacy and the rights of parents over their children should not be open to amendments by majoritarian forces.