Life's Dominion: An Argument about Abortion, Euthanasia, and Individual Freedom

Dworkin's landmark philosophical essay brings a new dimension to future debate about abortion and euthanasia. The conventional view of the abortion controversy hinges on whether a fetus is a helpless, unborn child with rights and interests of its own. Yet many people who oppose abortion, claims Dworkin ( Taking Rights Seriously ), actually do so for a very different underlying reason--their view that human life, in any form, has intrinsic, sacred value. To this New York University law professor, the critical question in Roe v. Wade is whether state legislatures have the constitutional power to decide which intrinsic values all citizens must respect. He defends a woman's right to free choice as a necessary implication of the religious freedom guaranteed by the First Amendment. As for euthanasia, the key issue, he argues, is whether a free society will seek to impose its collective judgment on individuals, or instead allow them to make the most profound spiritual judgments about their own lives for themselves. (May)