[linda_22003]

Are you advocating that the laws of the United States be amended to reflect this? This was never the penalty back when abortion was illegal.

[RobbyS]

The abortion laws of the 19th century were written with two things in mind:
(1) the procedure put the woman's life/health into jeopardy
(2) The embryo was a human being.

Science had just given substance to the ancient Christian teaching that life began with conception and the doctors of the time took this to heart. This is why it was the Texas branch of the AMA that pushed the legislature to outlaw abortion and to punish doctors /midwives but not mothers who were party to abortion.