fetuses aren’t people UNDER THE LAW, and never have been.
***Nonsense. Several fetuses have been killed and the perpetrator of the crime has been brought to justice. Connor (Laci Peterson’s unborn baby) comes to mind.
It’s true that late stage VIABLE fetuses have been given legal protection in many states. It is also true that a separate crime has been legislated in many jurisdictions making it a crime to harm a fetus in connection with a crime committed against a mother, but again, neither of these examples can be used to counter my statement, because:
1. They are state laws, and that is exactly what we are arguing FOR
2. None of them so far as I know extend protection to the beginning of life in the womb and thues would require some modifyiner to the word fetus, like “viable fetus” or “over 23 week-old fetus”.
What I said was in the context of the 14th Amendment and the use of the word “person” in the United States Constitution - AS IT NOW EXISTS.