I heard a story on NPR about "preborn" babies where the fetus is described as a human with all associated rights beginning the moment of conception. It's an interesting concept and it is obviously something supported and initiated by the pro-life movement but it could also lead to some interesting unintended consequences.
Would this mean that if a woman had a miscarriage she would be guilty of manslaughter? An abortion is first degree murder? What if she fell down the steps and went into premature labor at 25 weeks and caused lasting bodily harm to the child from being so premature? Is that a lawsuit? Would any form of birth control that prevents a fertilized egg from implanting be considered a murder weapon?
I realize that there are probably some exceptions written into the legislation to address the miscarriage issue but does that mean that fetuses, er, preborn babies, have different rights than other humans? And hasn't that caused problems for us in the past? Replace the word "preborn baby" with "African American" and I suspect there would be a bit of outcry around the legislation. It's OK to kill by accident but it's not OK if it's intentional?
What about the tax implications? If I'm pregnant and have a miscarriage in a year (provided I'm not charged with manslaughter) can I claim the "preborn child" on my taxes as a dependent? Do we need to get a birth certificate and a social security number for this "preborn child?"
On the other extreme, there is a case in Suffolk, Virginia where a woman shot herself in the belly thus inducing a "miscarriage" at 9 months. She was acquitted.
Doesn't it seem as though common sense needs to reign at both ends of the spectrum? Hard and fast rules do more to hurt both sides of this debate than help them.
Interestingly enough, the spell checker does NOT recognize the term "preborn."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Was the lady who shot herself to get rid of the preborn baby acquitted on insanity grounds, or some other basis? It's hard to imagine that a sane person would do that.
It's from this story and I didn't verify the facts which is a bad thing.
http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/brandao/060522
From another source: Skinner, 22, also was charged with using a firearm in commission of a felony. That charge was not prosecuted because it must apply to a certain list of felonies, not including the miscarriage statute.
The woman's name is Tammy Skinner and if you google her name there is lots of debate around the case on the web.
Post a Comment