We need not resolve the difficult question of when life begins. When those trained in the respective disciplines of medicine, philosophy, and theology are unable to arrive at any consensus, the judiciary, at this point in the development of man's knowledge, is not in a position to speculate as to the answer.
Harry A. BlackmunWho is to say that 5 men 10 years ago were right whereas 5 men looking the other direction today are wrong.
Harry A. BlackmunWhat the Court really has refused to recognize is the fundamental interest all individuals have in controlling the nature of their intimate associations.
Harry A. BlackmunOf one thing, however, I am certain. Just as an execution without adequate safeguards is unacceptable, so too is an execution when the condemned prisoner can prove that he is innocent. The execution of a person who can show that he is innocent comes perilously close to simple murder.
Harry A. Blackmun