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I recently created a podcast about the “My Body, My Choice” principle as part of the University of Virginia’s “Taboo Trades” podcast series, run by UVA law professor Kim Krawiec. I answered questions on various topics from Prof. Krawiec and a group of law students from the UVA. They raised many insightful points. Listeners can judge my answers for themselves. The podcast audio is available here.
Here is the description:
In this episode, George Mason Law’s Ilya Somin joins me and UVA law students Joseph Camano (’24) and Dennis Ting (’24) to discuss the full implications of “My Body, My Choice.” Somin argues that the principle has implications far beyond abortion (including paying for kidney donors and abolishing draft and mandatory jury service) and that both liberals and conservatives are inconsistent in its application.
Prof. Krawiec has helpfully included a list of links to relevant writings by the two of us, which address issues raised in the podcast:
Ilya Somin, Democracy and Political Ignorance: Why Smaller Government is Smarter (Stanford University Press, revised and expanded second edition, 2016)
Ilya Somin, Free to move: voting with feet, migration and political freedom (Oxford University Press, 2020, revised and expanded edition, 2022)
Ilya Somin, a broader perspective on “My body, my choice”
Ilya Somin, are abortions banned?
Ilya Somin, Markets with only a few borders
Ilya Somin, review of Cass Sunstein’s book Too much information:
Ilya Somin, “Government Warning Warning”:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2015/08/22/a-warning-about-government-warnings/
Kim Krawiec, personal web page https://kimberlydkrawiec.org and University of Virginia Law School web page https://www.law.virginia.edu/faculty/profile/kdk4q/1181653
Krawiec, Kimberly D. “Markets, Disgust, and Externalities.” Journal of Institutional Economics (2022): 1-12.
Healy, Kieran and Kimberly D. Krawiec. “Aversion Management and Transactions in the Body.” American economics magazine 107.5 (2017): 86-90.
Tailor, Kimberly D. “No money allowed.” U. Chi. Legal F. (2022): 221.
Cook, Philip J. and Kimberly D. Krawiec. “An Introduction to Kidney Transplantation: Anatomy of the Deficit.” Law & Contemp. Issues. 77 (2014): 1.
Cook, Philip J. and Kimberly D. Krawiec. “If we allow football players and boxers to be paid for entertaining the public, why not allow kidney donors to be paid for saving lives.” Law & Contemp. Issues. 81 (2018): 9.
I especially recommend Krawiec’s excellent article (co-authored with Philip J. Cook), in which he argues that if we are willing to pay people to play dangerous sports like football, we should also legalize organ markets. I have made similar points myself, but not in as much depth and detail.