Johnsen D
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, Chicago, Illinois.
Hastings Cent Rep. 1987 Aug-Sep;17(4):33-40.
Courts and legislatures are increasingly being called upon to restrict the autonomy of pregnant women by requiring them to behave in ways that others determine are best for the fetuses they carry. The state should not attempt to transform pregnant women into ideal baby-making machines. Pregnant women make decisions about their behavior in the context of the rest of their lives, with all the attendant complexities and pressures. Our interest in helping future children by improving prenatal care would best be furthered by helping pregnant women to make informed, less constrained choices, not by punishing women or depriving them of choices altogether.
法院和立法机构越来越多地被要求限制孕妇的自主权，要求她们按照他人认为对其腹中胎儿最有利的方式行事。国家不应试图将孕妇变成理想的生育机器。孕妇在她们余生的背景下做出关于自身行为的决定，伴随着所有相关的复杂性和压力。我们通过改善产前护理来帮助未来儿童的兴趣，最好是通过帮助孕妇做出明智的、限制较少的选择来进一步实现，而不是通过惩罚妇女或完全剥夺她们的选择。
