Opinion

Alexander v. Whitman

  • 114 F.3d 1392
  • 1997 WL 272350
Court
Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Filed
May 23, 1997
Author
Alito
On the bench
Greenberg, Alito, McKee
Cited by
8 cases
Authority
More cited than 11.9%

The opinion

ALITO, Circuit Judge,

concurring.

I am in almost complete agreement with the court’s opinion, but I write to comment briefly on two points. First, I think that the court’s suggestion that there could be “human beings” who are not “constitutional persons” (Maj.Op. 1401-02) is unfortunate. I agree with the essential point that the court is making: that the Supreme Court has held that a fetus is not a “person” within the meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment. However, the reference to constitutional nonpersons, taken out of context, is capable of misuse.

Second, I think that our substantive due process inquiry must be informed by history. It is therefore significant that at the time of the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment and for many years thereafter, the right to recover for injury to a stillborn child was not recognized. See Giardina v. Bennett, 111 N.J. 412 , 545 A.2d 139, 143 (1988); Smith v. Brennan, 31 N.J. 353 , 157 A.2d 497, 498 (1960).

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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