Pretty massive ruling. In fact, it’s what is ultimately going to upend Roe v. Wade.
Life begins, biologically, at conception. Nobody even questions that fact. Not in court either. The law, as it is today, holds that a fetus isn’t human until it is born, essentially.
I can’t remember if partial-birth and late-term abortions are legal nationally right now, or if it is still a matter that states can decide individually.
Depending on the state, I would imagine, the father’s equitable rights may attach as early as the third trimester. In some states, I would imagine that some sort of either legal or criminal (or both) suit can be brought by a father against a mother for a late-term abortion.
One of my good friends, who married just this last Saturday, actually, had a boy that he knew nothing about for over 16 years. Woman tracked him down, called from a clear blue sky to tell him about his son, and that she was calling to get some information about his genetics becaue her son (not his, of course) was facing some sort of potentially life threatening illness.
My business partner’s ex-girlfriend lied about her being on birth control, actively sabotaged his condoms, had a baby by him, then dumped him and did the same to three other men. Two of those men have no idea she did it basically to harvest DNA. In his case, since she had money, my business partner is fully on the hook, and has forked over northward of $85K in less than three years.
The ENTIRE family law system isn’t even up to the point where you could call it ‘advocacy’, much less ‘justice’.
Nice to see this case happen. Hope they use it early and often as precedent.
until the courts get off this “motherhood first” kick there will be no maturity. If anything this case strikes down the presumption of automatic paternity. The next logical step is to require paternity testing as a matter of course in all births.
Opening the door to fathers at the point of birth is the first step. If this is phrased as a roe v wade attack then all the judges will just circle the waggons.