"Society 's willingness to impose on women alone the sacrifice required by laws restricting abortion , unique within the landscape of Anglo-American law , may well reflect a deeply held traditional view of the differences in character of the sexes . While we might not impose selflessness and virtuous behavior on a man .... some may find it less of a contradiction to impose such virtue on a woman because of the traditional view of her nature . But to impose virtue on ANY person demeans that person 's individual worth . It is no more acceptable when the person is a woman than a man . There should be no 'woman 's exception ' to our traditional regard for individualism and autonomy . As long as these values remain at the core of our legal system , there is thus a powerful case for the conclusion that laws prohibiting abortion -- even IF the fetus is regarded as a person -- deny women the equal protection of the laws guaranteed to all by the 14th amendment . And if this is so , then perhaps the Roe decision , by gratuitously insisting that the fetus can not be deemed a person , needlessly insulted and alienated those for whom the view that the fetus is a person represents a fundamental article of faith or a bedrock personal committment . Perhaps as Yale Law School Dean Guido Calabresi has suggested , the Roe opinion for no good reason said to a large and politically active group `` [ y ] our metaphysics are not part of our Constitution. `` The Court could have indeed have said : Even if the fetus is a person , our Constitution forbids compelling a woman to carry it for nine months and become a mother"
"Just an add-on and hopefully thought-provoking ."
"law , may well reflect a deeply held traditional view of the differences in character of the sexes ."
"Just an add-on and hopefully thought-provoking"