I can't say I am familiar with the technicalities of American law, but I know that here in Canada, a Fetus is not considered to be a human life. At least that is what the abortion laws here dictate.


What does the law say in the US? Since abortion is legal in the US as far as my understanding goes, how can eliminating a fetus be deemed murder in one situation and not in the next?


What exactly does the "Laci and Conner's law" stipulate?

US law currently says that an unborn fetus is not protected until the 3rd trimester. ... I think.

The Laci & Conner law allows the police to charge someone with murder if their actions result in the death of a fetus (non abortion), like you kill the mother (now 2 counts instead of just 1) or if you punch the mother in the stomach and she loses the child.

I'm an expert in that I've skimmed this article: http://www.findlaci2003.us/conner-law.html

43 minutes too late am i

Is there a moment that the fetus suddenly enters the 3rd trimester and is immediately a human life? This is a debate that cannot be settled by the government, and one that scientists are too partisan to satisfactorily tackle.

As soon as the sperm penetrates the egg....that is human life. But, hey, that's just my opinion....I could be wrong.

That is my opinion as well. The debate, however, will never end.

Did you know that between half and two thirds of times the sperm meets the egg, a miscarriage results before the egg ever implants, and the woman never knows she was pregnant and just has what seems like a normal period?

I always thought that made the sperm-egg event seem much less significant, but that's just my opinion.

Allow me a few parting blows. On the pro-life side, I must confess that the whole sanctity of life argument is a load of shit. It is preserved by self-interest and completely void of reason. Why is a single human zygote held sacred while comparatively more complex lifeforms are disregarded as nuisances or inconsiquential? I see none of these people attempting to save bean sprouts, smallpox, or cockroaches. What makes these cells especially important, is it that they are derived from humans? That is the peak of arrogance considering that at this the "child" could hardly be distinguished from any other animal cell.

But I also do not see how anyone could condone late term abortions. A fetus which could survive and develop outside of the womb, should not have its cranium split apart and its brains vacuumed out. If you are going to make the argument that it is a woman's right to choose you should make sure that the method you employ can even be considered civilized.

I blame politics, goodnight.

I wish those who support the right to abortion, as I do, will just stop mincing their words. Hey, if the anti-choice folks want to call us names like baby killers, just say, yeah, whassup?

Respect a woman's right to choose by keeping abortion as an option (but not late term abortion), but make it part of the options that are available, along with open adoption and the like. Stress education and safe sex on the front end of the matter first. Try to limit the number of abortions by educating the expectant on her options, and be mindful and empathetic in cases of rape and incest where abortion may be the best, if only, route.

I think a healthy compromise would be best.

Y'know, I was thinking about the Laci/Conner law. WTF? It was like no one had ever killed a pregnant woman before. Why did we suddenly need a federal law for that?

Maybe PunkDavid is the one to ask. Does adding a count of murder for the fetus make a significant difference in most murder trials? And even if it does, what did we do for the first 227 years of our country's history when someone killed a pregnant woman?

Isn't that a double standard? Abortion is okay, but if the fetus dies outside of the doctor's office it's murder?

Some say double standard. Some say exception to the rule.

we show no regard for other life forms - only human life is considered sacred. so, a good compromise would be to pinpoint the exact time when the fetus becomes "human." what makes us distinctly human? our intelligence. brain activity begins somewhere in the 2nd trimester. abortions performed before this mark should be ok, after should be illegal. that's plenty of time for a woman's right to choose.

Thus on day 89, the fetus may be a person in some states. On day 177, the fetus is a person in all 50 states.

I don't know whether it should be a seperate count of murder, but it should be a seperate felony. It would be like physically forcing an abortion on someone who did not want one.

Sensibility has no place in the US Congress.

Phenomenal post.

I don't even know why "right to choose" is even an issue. If you want to have sex, you should be willing to accept the natural consequences of the action. So, really, the argument is more about whether or not the fetus is human than whether the woman has the right to choose.