Few deny the impact on physicians, patients, and patients' families of US Supreme Court decisions. Actions the Court takes, or refuses to take, carry implications for how patients receive care, the type of care they receive, how medical care will be paid for, the extent to which patients can trust their doctors, and even how patients die. Below the surface of constitutional interpretation and judicial temperament lie ethical commitments and value considerations. Justices do not decide cases, especially biomedical ethics cases, in a vacuum. Too much is at stake for those involved in health care--receiving services, providing care, or studying its moral constraints--to ignore the explicit and implicit ethical considerations of the Justices. The book examines the rulings and the individual opinions of justices on important biomedical issues including: Contraception, Confidentiality, Abortion, Reproductive Freedom, Assisted Suicide, Mental Illness, Religious Objection to Treatment, Medical Regulation, and Health Care Rights.