Our government has a long history of paternalistic laws that regulate the fundamental choices a woman might make about her body. This essentially robs her of the fundamental sense of physical autonomy afforded to men. For instance, no man may be compelled to use his body to save the life of another person, even if he is dead. Neither can a man be compelled to donate sperm. We accept without hesitation that a man is fully human and possesses sufficient moral agency to make decisions about his body. If we cannot extend this presumption of being fully human and possessing moral agency to women then we should not allow them to participate in our government in any way.



