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Abortion access

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The core questions in the abortion debate:

"When does human personhood begin?"

"How to proceed when we cannot reach a consensus?"

A description of all viewpoints

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Quotations:

bullet"Whether or not abortion should be legal turns on the answer to the question of whether and at what point a fetus is a person. This is a question that cannot be answered logically or empirically. The concept of personhood is neither logical nor empirical: It is essentially a religious, or quasi-religious idea, based on one's fundamental (and therefore unverifiable) assumptions about the nature of the world." Paul Campos, professor of law at the University of Colorado. (2002) 1
bullet"The real question today is not when human life begins, but, 'What is the value of human life?' The abortionist who reassembles the arms and legs of a tiny baby to make sure all its parts have been torn from its mother's body can hardly doubt whether it is a human being." President Ronald Reagan, (1983). 2

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This section describes various beliefs about when human personhood begins:

bullet Introduction: Overview; what pro-life & pro-choice groups agree and disagree on.
bullet More info: Terminology; Spermatozoa, Ova & Zygotes
^ We recommend reading these two essays first. ^

bullet When personhood starts:
bullet Conflicting beliefs about when personhood starts
bullet Is a consensus possible? Will it ever be possible?
 
bullet Detailed information on various beliefs about personhood:
bullet It happens at conception -- the most common pro-life position
bullet It happens when blood first appears -- a new interpretation based on the Bible
bullet It happens later in pregnancy -- the most common pro-choice position
bullet It happens at 14 or 22 weeks gestation -- two novel arguments
bullet It happens during childbirth -- the traditional Jewish position
 
bullet What the laws of the U.S. and Canada say
 
bullet U.S. state and federal "fetal homicide" (a.k.a. "unborn victim") legislation

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Site navigation:

 Home page > "Hot" topics > Abortion > Basic facts > here

 Home page > "Hot" topics > Abortion > Religion/ethics > here

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References used:

  1. Paul Campos, "Opinions: PAUL CAMPOS: Abortion and the rule of law ," Scripps Howard News Service, 2002-JAN, at: http://www.nandotimes.com
  2. President Ronald Reagan, "Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation," The Human Life Review, 1983-Spring, Online at: http://www.nationalreview.com/

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Copyright © 1995 to 2004 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2004-NOV-10
Author: B.A. Robinson

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