Bodily integrity matters under substantive due process include which of the following?

Bodily integrity matters under substantive due process include which of the following?

• A. The right to refuse medical treatment
• B. The right to vote
• C. The right to counsel
• D. The right to a speedy trial

Answer: (A)

Substantive due process protects fundamental liberties tied to personal autonomy over one’s own body, and bodily integrity covers the right to control medical decisions. The key idea is that a competent person should be free to refuse medical treatment, even if others (or the state) think treatment is better, because it’s a core aspect of bodily autonomy and self-determination. The right to refuse medical treatment is the best fit here because it directly embodies bodily integrity—protecting a person’s choice about what happens to their own body. The other options don’t reflect bodily autonomy: the right to vote is a fundamental political right, not a bodily-autonomy claim; the rights to counsel and to a speedy trial are procedural protections under the Sixth Amendment, not protections of bodily integrity.

Substantive due process protects fundamental liberties tied to personal autonomy over one’s own body, and bodily integrity covers the right to control medical decisions. The key idea is that a competent person should be free to refuse medical treatment, even if others (or the state) think treatment is better, because it’s a core aspect of bodily autonomy and self-determination.

The right to refuse medical treatment is the best fit here because it directly embodies bodily integrity—protecting a person’s choice about what happens to their own body. The other options don’t reflect bodily autonomy: the right to vote is a fundamental political right, not a bodily-autonomy claim; the rights to counsel and to a speedy trial are procedural protections under the Sixth Amendment, not protections of bodily integrity.