The legal concept of viability, or exactly when it is that life begins, is a hot topic both in and out of the courtroom. In August of 2008, the presidential candidates were attending a forum at the Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, when the moderator and church pastor, Rev. Rick Warren, asked the candidates, “At what point does a baby get human rights?” You may remember that then Senator Barack Obama replied to Warren by saying that determining when life begins, is “above his pay grade.” Such an “artful dodge” is no longer acceptable in more and more forums, especially in the courtroom, because determining when to grant an unborn fetus human rights can have profound impact on both criminal and civil litigation.
On one end of the scale is thinking similar to that stated by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and pro-choice advocates in an article titled, “What’s Wrong with Fetal Rights”. In that article, the group stated, “we have serious reservations about legislation designed to protect fetuses, because it can endanger women’s rights by reinforcing claims of ‘fetal rights’ in the law.” On the other end of the scale would be any embryologist or “pro-life” … Read More... “Viability: The Beginning of Human Life”