If we are going to claim a fetus has rights, then the cart cant go before the horse. Everything needs to line up for that to actually be defensible.
- fetuses need to be recognized by the Federal Government as having all the same rights as born and living Americans. So a SS# for every fetus, I guess?
- every pregnancy that isnt carried to term needs to be investigated because that is the death of someone with rights. So since 15-20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage, thatll be a shitton of criminal investigations. But seriously now- it is needed if we are protecting a fetus' rights.
- every birth where a child has physical or mental limitations needs to be investigated to see if the mother was criminally responsible due to poor care during pregnancy. DHS is gonna be overflowing with newborns. Again though, this is needed if we are protecting a fetus' rights.
Those 3 bullet points could be read and viewed as me being dramatic and extreme. But no, I am not being extreme- I am pointing out how extreme a genuine claim of personhood with rights is for a fetus.
Anything less that full protection is both inconsistent and a violation of the claimed rights the fetus has.
I will add that I am unsure of a reasonable resolution for situations where a man wants to keep the child and the mother doesnt. That is, admittedly, a specific instance that I have no answer for because I do think the man should be able to raise their child, but I also dont think a woman should be forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term.
I offer up this situation because I think it is important to acknowledge that issues can be complex and specific situations may not fully track with the overall view.
This is an incredibly rare situation though, so it is almost never something that actually has to be sorted out.
This thread would be a lot cooler if everyone just recognized the obvious satirical point the Legislator is trying to make, chuckles at the inconsistent position the point highlights, and they post a funny gif like many have done.
