Isn't it also impossible to tell if an egg is fertilized for some time? It's a bit of a Schrodinger's cat.

so, theoretically, would be any late period. I had a miscarriage that some relatives were sure was an abortion (because I'd kept the pregnancy secret with the plan of giving my grandchild-hungry parents their best birthday present ever). Miscarrying a wanted child is an awful experience without having to answer to charges of murder.

Plus, the silliness. Will they issue some kind of pre-birth certificate for the fetus? A pregnancy is confirmed before the number of fetuses is known. Is that pregnant woman two or three people?

Further, unless you treat all women between 9 and 60 as possibly pregnant, life begins at perception, not conception.

The right to privacy was orginally established in regard to birth control in Griswald v, The State of CN in 1965-66. Before then women in CN and other states could not get birth control without their husband permissions. This constitutional ruling was the precedent for Roe V. Wade.

The anti are trying to get something passed that will be challenged and thus get taken to the Supreme Court. They are not satisfied with chipping away at Roe with Parental consent Laws, Waiting periods, and late term bans, they want to ban contraception.

Pro choice organizations must do a good job educating he public on what this type of legislation this means as far as banning birth control.

In another move the Bush administration wants to require all recipientss of under federal health programs to certify they will not refuse to hire nurses and other providers who object to abortion or even certain types of birth control. The proposal defines abortion as follows: "any of the various procedures-including the prescription of any drug or the performance of any procedure or any other action-that results in the termination of life of a human being in vitro between conception and natural birth, whether before implantation or after implantation." Of course oncer again this does not meet medical definitions.

Yes in CA the Parental Consent law will be back on the ballot again in Nov. Along with the gay marriage ban. This is a tactic to get out the radical right voters.

"Further, unless you treat all women between 9 and 60 as possibly pregnant, life begins at perception, not conception."

Well said, Malusinka.

If you don't know you're pregnant, are you not culpable for any damage to the fetus? Scared teenagers, don't tell anyone if you think you're pregnant. Don't take an over-the-counter test. Plausible deniability!

If you're pregnant and drive in adverse conditions, have an accident and miscarry, are you guilty of manslaughter? If your husband's driving are you both guilty?

If you travel abroad while pregnant, does the fetus need a passport? How does the fetus sign the document? Can the fetus travel without its mother?

Should every known fetus be assigned a court-appointed guardian to make sure the woman is providing a proper womb environment? And if the woman isn't, will the fetus be put in foster care?

I think you correctly identify the consequences of defining a fertilized human egg as a person only I think it will be much more intrusive e.g. it would stand to reason that every pregnant woman would have to notify the government the moment she finds out that she is pregnant. Would the government have the authority to force somebody they suspect is pregnant to submit to a test?

It is for all these reasons that I am pro choice. I don't know when life begins. But I do know defining it to be at the moment of conception from a legal perspective requires a level of government intrusion that is horrific. If an attempt to avoid the government intrusion we end up with an even more troubling situation- the government gets to decide that some person is worthy of greater protection than another. This is the same problem with those that would make abortion illegal expect for rape or incest. The obvious implication that a life conceived through rape or incest is less worthwhile than a life conceived in another manner. That is essentially what the Nazis said.

In the end we will come to recognize that this is moral problem and that it has to be dealt with on that basis.

If a rich couple stores away some fertilized eggs, and then they somehow die, the eggs would be the rightful heirs! So how would this work -- do you set up a trust fund and then impregnate some woman off the street to bring forth the trust fund babies?

If fertilized eggs can be stored indefinitely, then that money could be tied up forever. After a couple hundred years at a good APR, the little test-tube-tykes would be ultra-wealthy!

Like you, MizBinkley, I have complicated questions about abortion, personal freedom, the definition of when life begins etc. The one that has always bothered me: If the exception for rape and incest is removed and a woman conceives through rape and is forced to carry to term, by law, and that woman dies in childbirth, does that now make the rapist her murderer and could it also make the government, who denied her an abortion, an accessory to murder?

Is the "Golden State." Florida is the "Sunshine State." Please don't confuse us with Florida.

Would they be eligible to vote eighteen years after fertilization? Be drafted? Pay taxes? Get married? Did the parents violate truancy laws by not sending them to school? Are they protected against discrimination under the ADA?

besides covering human feritlized eggs with this measure they want to pass; maybe we need to extend that to also cover fertilized FIRE ANT EGGS in florida! this way we'll be better able to prosecute every CHRISTO-FASCIST whom, while at their craptist church picnic; steps hard upon those big ol' ant mounds and " aborts" an innocent fire ant's life! [ funny thing is this. all those states where they've got fire ants seem to be the best "breeding grounds" for those christo-fascists. then again, what about kansas/missouri, colorado springs[ conservative hamlet within a liberal state] ; and most of the midwest besides chicago] anyway, back to the topic. if " let the states' decide" mc jerk gets in- these morons will get their way in many states! if OBAMA, HILLARY[ better yet! I wish!] , or maybe cynthia mc kinney/ralph nader- get elected- WE WILL FINALLY PUT "CHURCH" BACK IN ITS PLACE! OUT OF USA POLITICS[ " state"] maybe we just oughtta have a nice " faith cruise" for fundamentalist christians to go on with their f*cking families and friends- BUT..... first drill a few small holes on the ship's hull; before they all sail out into the gulf of mexico. how many ships do you think we'll need? because the SHARKS ARE GETTING HUNGRY AND NEED FOOD BADLY! sick thoughts????? maybe not!