[jlogajan]

tell me when the mind does develop enough to acquire legal protection.

I don't know exactly. And reasonable people can reasonably disagree.

A similar question is when a child becomes an adult. You know though, some never do, and some do a lot younger than the average.

tpaine's point in #96 seems to say it as well I could. A reasonable but arbitrary point, as opposed to an unreasonably arbitrary point.

For the record, by the way, I believe a woman retains sovereignty over her body ALWAYS and can expell a fetus at any point she chooses. The question is how you treat the expelled entity -- as a human or not. Viability and other estimations of human life speak to that point -- and not whether a woman MUST bring a birth to term (there are always death risks with live birth and a woman should never be forced to risk her own life for another if she chooses not to.)

[secretagent]

Thanks for elaborating.

[Texasforever]

I believe that abortion should be a legal "self-defense" action if the mother's life or actual serious health issues are involved. A similar case could be made for rape since the woman was forcibly impregnated. However; abortion in lieu of, or used as, birth-control should not be a "right" of the mother OR father. Abortion is as much an irresponsible guy's best friend as it is a woman's. If the woman does not want the child then she can carry it to term and put it up for adoption. If the man can be identified he should be made to pay for all expenses involved.