When Is Abortion Legal

Legal abortion has been an ongoing discussion for decades. I can remember my mother and grandmother having conversations about it when I was just a child. When is it legal? When is it Illegal? Personally, I am pro-choice and believe that a woman has the right to decide what is best for her in her situation. The government does not have the right to tell women what to do with their own bodies. For example, if a woman is raped she should have the right to decide if she wants to carry the child of her rapist. In 1973 the United States Supreme Court decided in the infamous case of Roe v. Wade that a fetus is not a “person”. Since then there have been numerous convictions dismissed because of that. However, in South Carolina and Massachusetts the

However, it is legal if the abortion is done within the first 24 weeks or if it is done in an effort to save the mothers own life. It is also required to be done by a licensed physician. In New York State there are conflicting statutes when it comes to fetal homicide. If a fetus dies within the womb after 24 weeks of pregnancy it is a homicide. There is also a statute that states that a “person” that is killed is defined as someone who is alive, outside of the womb, or has been born. The laws for illegal abortion and fetal homicide are quite similar in New York State. Both deem that after 24 weeks in the womb the killing of the unborn baby is

In the case of Laci Peterson, she was murdered by her husband Scott when she was seven months pregnant with their son whom they named Conner. The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s office stated that if they could prove that the mother and child were both killed due to the actions of the father then they would charge two counts. In the state of California this would make Scott Peterson eligible for the death penalty for committing multiple homicides. In 2004 President Bush signed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act which is also referred to as Laci and Conner’s Law. This law says that a child is a legal victim of they are hurt or killed during the commission of a crime during any stage of their development within the womb. It brings to mind a couple of different scenarios. Let’s say a pregnant mother is driving along the Interstate and all of a sudden, a drunk driver who is driving on the wrong side of the road hits her head on. She is rushed to the hospital and shortly dies thereafter. It is also determined that her unborn baby was also killed as a result of the horrific accident. The drunk driver should very well be charged with two counts of vehicular homicide. Another example, a pregnant woman is sleeping in her apartment when a fire breaks out. She is unable to escape and passes from smoke inhalation. It is later determined that someone set the fire in an attempt to hurt