Justice John Paul Stevens — The Practice of Medicine and the Rule of Law

New England Journal of Medicine (free full text article) marks the retirement of Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stephens and his record of defending medicine against interference by government and other groups, including matters of abortion and assisted suicide:

Although it’s not a thought that has leapt to the minds of commentators, U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens will be missed by physicians and patients. Stevens believes that the Constitution prohibits government from interfering in personal decision making, including medical decisions that belong in the hands of physicians and their patients, not politicians and regulators; it was for this reason that he was Justice Harry Blackmun’s staunchest ally in upholding the Roe v. Wade abortion-rights decision.

What can be expected of his successor, Elena Kagan, here: Kagan Memos On Abortion Limits, Religious Rights