Supreme Court's Half-Hearted Defense of Abortion Rights

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Paul Taske discuss the Supreme Court’s abortion jurisprudence in light of its recent decision in June Medical Services v. Russo. While June’s outcome was a victory for abortion rights advocates, it highlighted the Court’s failure to address abortion issues from a principled, rights-based perspective.

Topics discussed include:

Ayn Rand’s radical defense of abortion rights
The Constitution’s purpose as a limitation on government and its role in safeguarding individual rights, including abortion rights
The Supreme Court’s history of abortion jurisprudence
The Court’s reliance on a pragmatic “balancing test,” rather than the principle of rights

For Ayn Rand’s perspective on abortion, check out her commentary and the lecture “Of Living Death.” ARI’s other commentary on abortion can be found on New Ideal and as part of its Philosophy For Living On Earth podcast series.

This podcast was recorded on August 5, 2020. Watch or listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived web episodes here.