Does a fetus have rights? Or is it an extension of the human?

Question

A fetus is attatched to me. It is in my body. Therefore, it is mine to do with what I wish - it is merely a temporary extension of my being.

Where does it get rights? What section of our law books gives a fetus rights? Why doesn't the woman in whose body it is forming have rights? Do you think that 'pro-life = anti-abortion'? And, if so, doesn't 'anti-abortion = anti-womens' rights'? And when did a safe, legal medical procedure become trampling ground for Christian crusaders and a major politica platform?

Honestly would like opinions. To me, saying a fetus has rights is like saying my kidneys have rights. I'm interested in other people's thoughts.

First of all, I'd really like to thank everyone for their honest answers. And, for the couple of people who thought their ideas or explanations would 'be wasted on' me, you're entirely wrong. This is honestly something I've thought about alot, and I've always wondered how far religion vs. science comes in to it. Alot of these answers have alerted me to or reminded me of things I wasn't taking into consideration.

I'd like to make a point about the 'if you're ready to have sex, you should be ready to have a baby' argument that comes up so often. I am an adult, married to the same man I've been with for almost ten years. We do not want to have children. I take all the precautions I can short of surgery: I am on chemical birth control and we use a condom - every time for ten years. Neither of us can find a doctor to perform a sterilization procedure on us because of our age (we're under 30).

Answer 1

A fetuses rights start when it can live outside it's mother. Until then the mother's rights come first!
Even nature aborts fetuses when not acceptable. Who here is so super bright as to argue with that?

Answer 2

Your kidneys do not have fingers and toes. It is not aware of any pain it experiences (you are), it does not have a heart, It does not have eyes or a mouth, it will never be able to think for itself or tell you how much it loves you. There is no other part of a person's body that has an awareness of what is external (except the brain) ; which your kidney does not have by the way. Your kidney cannot grow up to cure AIDS/HIV, maybe save a life or bring joy to your life. Anything that can do all those things should have some rights, don't you think? What my biggest concern about abortion in my lifetime has definitely come to fruition. It is a convenience for most of those getting them. Why not just be cautious and be prepared to take responsibility for your actions. No-one seems to want to do that anymore. Please do not hit me with the rape/incest argument, instead of killing the innocent child, let's just kill the perpetrator of the crime. Might deter an awful lot of those actions in the future. Any life is precious, but a life create through carelessness is not disposable just because a woman doesn't want the responsibility.

Answer 3

When does life begin? At conception? When the heart begins to beat at 25 days? When you feel the fetus move? Legally your fetus has the same rights you do when it reaches 24 weeks. Your kidneys have the right to not be harmed by another person, or a product more rights than a 23 week old fetus.

Answer 4

I doubt that your kidney will ever become a Child, I think that the women has rights but the child has rights also, why would a mother kill her child, she had a choice, she chose to get preganant. the Fetus is a child, growing to become like you and me. if you take that life you have taken everything, life only happens once and you deprive your child from experience it. Think if you mother got a abortion when you were a fetus, you would not be here. If you choose to murder your child, knowing that some day it will walk, run and laugh then it is murder, knowing that you are willingly to take a life so that you can have pleasure from sex is nothing more then your selfish wants.

Answer 5

If you go by our laws the fetus is only a fetus... it doesn't have rights until it's born and technically not even then... A person in the USA only has rights if they have a Social Security Number... I think what ever a woman does is her choice... I'm on both sides of the abortion thing... If you intentionally spread your legs than you should have to be held responsible for the life that you created... now if you could die from child birth then abortion is ok... Or if you were raped you should be allowed to have an abortion... If the circumstances are morally ok than get the abortion if you don't want the baby because you're selfish than I think you need to be shot...

Answer 6

I agree with you. Generally people who assert the rights of a fetus have very little understanding of biology.

From a religious perspective, I believe that a soul will find you if it is meant to. I once knew someone who had 2 abortions because she was addicted to drugs and homeless. On her way, she spoke to the souls, told them to wait for her. She cleaned up, got an ivy league education, and now has two beautiful children who have never been forced to live on the streets with a drug-addicted mother. I truly believe that, despite many bad decisions, that woman did what was best for herself and her future children.

Additional: Fireball, you and I disagree frequently, but I am sorry for your loss. I do think the girl had a right to do what she did, but I'm sure that doesn't make it any easier. God will bring that little soul into your life one way or another.

Additional additional: Secret Agent Lady, by your logic, the fetus only has rights if it was produced during a sexual encounter that was consentual. If it is the product of a rape, it ceases to be "human"? I agree that abortion should be legal in such instances, but I find that logic flawed.

Answer 7

every human being is an extension of their mother and father. if you say that a fetus has no rights, then you yourself have no rights. you can speak for yourself, but who speaks for the fetus? what does the fetus want to say? how can it stand up and say that killing it is wrong? if you do not want to take the resposability for raising the child who was conceived from an act that should have happened when you were ready to take that responsability, at least give the child to someone who is will ing to take the resposability for raising a child. you should never do anything unless you are will ing to take the resposability of the otcome. if you have sex, then take the responsability for the outcome. if you get pregnant, then be prepared to raise a child. or give the child up for adoption. do anything other than kill it. the child could become the next einstein or the next george washington. you dont have to becaome a killer just because you do not want to own up to the consequences.

Answer 8

A fetus, is a scientific name made up for the sake of science.
God said that children are a Gift from Him.
Your law says you can abort, due to supposed womens rights*
The same law says if you drink, drive and kill a woman with a fetus inside her, you have killed two. Only God can make a fetus occur.
*Men, passed the law, pushed for it and guess what, it was so women would put out easier. It worked and is still called womens movement...but now men call women whores for it.
It is murder...period. You could try not being a tramp. Then you would not have this delemna.

Answer 9

Your kidney doesn't have an independent heartbeat or a functioning brain or growing and developing bady parts of it's own. Your kidney will never grow up to be the next Picasso or Einstein, but that fetus ,that is yours to destroy at will, could be. Why would a breathing. living, thinking, hearing, feeling being, no matter how small , not have the same intrinsic rights you have?

Answer 10

Out of more than 600 laws of Moses, none comments on abortion. One Mosaic law about miscarriage specifically contradicts the claim that the bible is antiabortion, clearly stating that miscarriage does not involve the death of a human being. If a woman has a miscarriage as the result of a fight, the man who caused it should be fined. If the woman dies, however, the culprit must be killed:

"If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.

"And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth . . ."--Ex. 21:22-25

The bible orders the death penalty for murder of a human being, but not for the expulsion of a fetus.

Answer 11

A fetus is genetically distinct from you. It is not a tissue, because it does not have one singular role. It is not a part of you because, except in extremely rare medical emergencies, its blood supply is completely separate from yours even. Therefore, in no way is it 'part of your body'. It's in you. Let's say you had a parasitic worm in your blood stream. Are those worms 'your body'? How about a leech stuck to your leg, is that part of your body? If so, then you may call the fetus part of your body. Otherwise, no, the fetus is not part of your body.

Remember from biology: cells make up tissues, tissues make up organs, organs make up systems, systems make up the body. Since the fetus is not a tissue, it is not part of one of your organs, nor your systems, and thus not part of your body.

There's two ways of analyzing it. It's not a part of you. As a genetically distinct human being, it deserves every right to fulfill its human potential. If you don't want the child, put it up for adoption, but don't become a murderer.

And before you accuse me of being a reactionary Christian -- I'm an atheist and a scientist. I'm speaking out of that science, not thumping a bible.

Why do I get the feeling both will be wasted on you anyways?

Abortion isn't "women's empowerment." Her empowerment is in keeping her legs closed or putting the infant up for adoption. Abortion isn't empowerment, it's cowardice.

-----------------

To avoid the illusion of 'revisionist history', I'm adding this instead of changing my initial answer, I would like to apologize for making the question writer the target of my frustration. It angers me deeply that people keep playing the women's right card when they fail to understand the basic biology of pregnancy. So far, no one I've brought this up to cared -- their minds were already made up. However, it was wrong of me to assume that this would be one more of those times, and wrong of me to be so dismissive.

I was in error, and I apologize.