At what point during a woman's pregnancy should her unborn be considered a person with rights?

Question US

At what point during a woman's pregnancy should her unborn be considered a person with rights?

by PajamasMedia Posted September 25, 2007 21:02:48

117 answers
Read all 85 comments
+11 raves

PJM Faceoff: It’s nobody’s business if Amy Alkon decides to order a cheeseburger. And none of their concern if she has an abortion. “There’s no definitive answer on whether it’s right or wrong to eat meat or on when a fertilized egg becomes a person. There’s only my opinion and your opinion.”

Read more

Answers
Results
Recommend This

	At conception
	Second Trimester
	Third Trimester
	At Birth
	Undecided (Please leave a comment)
	None of the above (Please leave a comment)

You!

Add Photos & Videos

Top Comment

+13 / -4 Jen September 26, 2007 17:39:55

Answered: At conception
All unborn babies deserve to live!!
View thread

Sort By

Most Raves
Least Raves
Oldest
Newest

text size

Comments

+1
emme425 October 29, 2008 23:11:51

Answered: At conception
....Because a person is a person no matter how small....
Dr. Suess
Carlos April 03, 2008 04:21:01

Answered: At conception
since its a sperm.
Carole April 02, 2008 11:32:49

Answered: At conception
moderated...
buzzboygt April 02, 2008 02:01:10

Answered: At conception
Human cells are living, not dead.
Nica24 March 17, 2008 08:15:46

Answered: At conception
IT IS A...L....I....V....E!!! Lol
Nobodyinparticular March 17, 2008 00:15:56

Answered: At conception
"zygote=human ogranism" is a demonstratable fact. "human organism=person" is the ethical question. Size, autonomy, intelligence, social connections, and likely fate are all poor reasons to deny personhood to the small, dependant, mentally handicapped, unloved, or dying. http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Parliament/8383/phi.html
AntiMainstream January 04, 2008 23:54:07

Answered: At conception
From the second there is contact with the sperm and egg.
Em November 15, 2007 20:59:18

Answered: None of the above
I think the minute they are conseved then they have rights
Jax° November 14, 2007 03:32:11

Answered: At Birth
Until the baby has came out of the womb it should not have any rights at all. The mother should be solely responsible for what she does with the baby and what she wants to do with the baby.
Elizabeth October 05, 2007 01:37:56

Answered: At Birth
Until a baby takes it's first breath it's not a person. Up until that point it is a foetus.
♥~Rainbow~♥ October 02, 2007 22:38:40

Answered: At conception
i believe that once there is a heartbeat...around 14 days after conception...that it is human life...i believe that the embryo now has a spirit, a soul...whatever you choose to call it
trojan horse October 02, 2007 22:33:32

Answered: At Birth
Unborn is doing nothing but taking up space until it enters space. First breath on its own outside the uterus, unborn is now baby with rights. Period. End of story. QED. DUHHHHH!!!!!!!
+1
Amanda October 01, 2007 00:32:56

Answered: Undecided
before i had my baby girl 4 weeks ago, i would've said that a baby is considered a life when the heart beat is detected and heard... now, i just don't know. i definitely believe that it's at conception. that mass of tissue turned into a little baby i can hold in my arms in the matter of 8 1/2 months (i had her early- but she's perfect none the less)
+1
Angel41 October 01, 2007 00:09:23

Answered: At conception
To a mother, when she is told that she's pregnant, in her heart and mind it's a baby. I don't care what scientist and doctor's say. It's a baby. It has a heart beat. My daughter was born 13 weeks early and from the day the doctor told us we were pregnant. She was ALWAYS considered our baby!!
Caro September 29, 2007 21:21:20

Answered: At conception
Well, I am only 17, but I believe that once that baby is conceived, it has a right to live. If the mother does not want it, one word. . . adoption. There are thousands of couples that cannot conceive and by having abortions, their chances of having a child becomes slimmer each time. I know I can't change the way people feel about abortion. But think about this, if each of your parents had decided to abort one of you, you wouldn't be having this debate right now. I think you all know the answer to that question. So, any baby that has been aborted will never have the chance to voice their opinons, or be able to go to a family that deserves them. Think about that. So what if you don't want to go through 9 months of pregnancy or through labor, you think that killing the baby will be worth it in the long run? Having an abortion will haunt you forever. And there. That's my opinion. I feel that babies do have a right to live once they are conceived. Dissagree with me? Fine. Go ahead. But I am one more percent of people that feel that having an abortion is so not worth it. And frankly, I don't really enjoy talking to people who do. The end.
Tiff September 29, 2007 03:52:23

Answered: At Birth
I'm on te nature side of the nature vs nurture debate, so I guess i just contradicted myself but I just can't think of a unborn baby as a person for some reason
+1
Rileymo September 29, 2007 01:51:54

Answered: None of the above
When the fetus is able to sustain itself outside the womb without any mechanical intervention. Until then it is part of the mother.
♥~Rainb... to Rileymo October 02, 2007 22:51:01

so you are saying that babies born premature have no right to live because they may need medical intevention, that their birth means nothing? that we should just let the himan life die without trying to save it? we dont even do that to adults ..unless they have a written order to let them go...babies obviously can not convey those intentions!
Rileymo to ♥~Rainb... October 03, 2007 12:04:18

No, the question is UNBORN. If the fetus is inside the mother, it is the mothers body. If it is outside the body, then it is a person. In regard to premies- I hate the fact that these babies born so premature that they are on life support, weighing in at the size of a mouse are forced to suffer unnaturally and then die anyway. Just because the medical community sees it fit as a profit opportunity. The children are born blind, their lungs are not developed, their brains are not developed, and they suffer from the minute they are out of the womb- I find that abusive, and just horrific. Where are all the people screaming for their rights then???? If it was an adult, or an animal, no compassionate person would let them suffer, but because it is a "new born" they can have their suffering drawn out indefinitely until they eventually die. I care about their pain and suffering, and it rips my heart out to see it.
♥~Rainb... to Rileymo October 05, 2007 06:57:29 (edited)

i lost my comment....crap...oh well
Rileymo to ♥~Rainb... October 05, 2007 13:21:34

Um, no. That's ABSOLUETLY untrue, and again, the child is part of the mother until it can sustain life on its own. I am sorry, but I will agree to disagree with you on this. I see no point in bringing up personal experiences, but yes I do have them so you point on that ia moot. All I am saying is that the fetus is completely under the mother's body rights until it is born, not a day sooner.
♥~Rainb... to Rileymo October 05, 2007 18:01:38

i will agree to disagree with you also....sometimes personal experiences are helpful...that is what this site is all about ...state your opinions and freedom to do it...gotta love freedom of speech!
+1
Jamesy818 [Raccoon VP] September 28, 2007 16:38:59

Answered: At Birth
I feel that it's the woman's body and everything in it should be considered hers until it is no longer inside.
I was standing outside the 2004 DNC waiting to get in when I started a debate with a group of people protesting abortion. They didn't exactly follow debate rules, but I understand. The woman I was speaking to told myself and two other friends that one in three of US was aborted...
+1
mikey September 28, 2007 00:45:03

Answered: At Birth
cause until then its still a part of the mother
thewannabeninja September 28, 2007 00:27:26 (edited)

Answered: At conception
The baby becomes a person at conception. Actually, depending on what you mean, a baby is a person with rights long before it is even thought of...or made by accident.And Abortions are pretty much playing the role of God, and saying 'theyre not okay EXCEPT WHEN...' is also playing the role of God.
cougar September 27, 2007 21:47:00

Answered: At conception
That baby is a person with rights at the time it is conceived.
karma's bullet baby September 27, 2007 21:41:16

Answered: None of the above
UMM KIDS REALY SHOULDN'T RIGHTS UNTIL 13 CAUSE THEY COULD DO STUPID THINGS AT ANY YOUNGER AGE
<--That guy September 27, 2007 19:30:58

Answered: None of the above
I'd probably say when the brain has formed.
Eager Beaver September 27, 2007 11:36:13

Answered: At Birth
besides we dont have much of any rights anymore this country is starting to fall apart....
Bryan September 27, 2007 11:04:26

Answered: Undecided
Now when you mention "RIGHTS" are you talknig as "rights" when you are under 18, or "rights" when an adult? Because if the under 18 rights, all decisions are left to the parents! The parents are responsible for that child. To each their own when it comes to a parents decision. They'll be the one living with their decision, not someone else telling them they are opinion, and since they aren't listing to you, SHUT UP about the child that aint yours! and worry about your own. ( so much fustration comes with this, i could go for hrs....)
rose of texas September 27, 2007 06:08:54

Answered: At conception
The moment the woman has life growing inside her that unborn child has rights the same as you or I. The unborn child has a right to live and live out their lives and no one has the right to take away that life.
+3
shirkie - "In CHRIST I trust!" September 27, 2007 05:20:11

Answered: At conception
What's the difference between the first trimester and the second? One. day. What's the difference between the second and the third? One. day. What's the difference between a "fetus" that can be legally aborted via "partial-birth abortion" and a baby? One. inch.

Life begins at conception. To say otherwise is kidding yourself.
+1
brandon September 27, 2007 03:00:02

Answered: At Birth
about where the doctor says "i see a head". lol
B September 27, 2007 00:35:36 (edited)

Answered: Undecided
Can its rights be violated before it is born? I don't think so. Maybe I'm wrong, if anyone can name any constitutional rights that can be violated before the child is born, I'd like to hear them.
+1
susie September 26, 2007 23:29:38

Answered: At conception
God put all baby on earth and he also takes away
+2
Ginjo September 26, 2007 21:53:22 (edited)

Answered: None of the above
As soon as it has a heart beat, which is typically when a woman finds out. So basically, at conception.
+2
Sister Jean September 26, 2007 20:57:47

Answered: At conception
when now a days ppl know all the ways to avoid pregnancy a new life should not be punished for your carelessness!!!!Life any life so precious and needs respect.Some ppl pay more attention to the life of their grass than human life!!! NO comparison to the wonder of life and a cheese burger DOH !!!!
+1
Roadscholar September 26, 2007 19:17:22

Answered: At Birth
I think that it's not a seperate person until it's a seperate person, until then it's part of the mother's body.

Now if you pull a live fetus out of the womb, that's a seperate person. If you then cause it to die, that's murdering someone.

I guess I don't think it's really murder if they chop it up while it's still inside of her, then suck it out.

Sorry if anyone is offended by the graphic language here, but I think if you're going to talk about the topic of abortion you should have the guts to recognize exactly what it is that you're talking about.
+2
Peter G... to Roadsch... September 26, 2007 19:30:19

This isn't about abortion, is about human rights. BTW.
+1
Roadsch... to Peter G... September 26, 2007 19:37:20

Yes, that's the language that's being used for this question, but I've never seen a single discussion anywhere about the rights of unborn children that didn't revolve around the issue of abortion. I don't know if you are being deliberately obtuse, or are just naive, but I honestly do not believe that you read this question and didn't also think of the topic of abortion.

1 2 3 Next » Last »