Fetal-Rights Examined

Via Kaiser:
The Kansas City Star on Sunday examined "fetal-rights" regulations. Groups that oppose abortion rights and some other groups say that society needs to "do whatever it can" to keep fetuses "safe and healthy," according to the Star.

For example, in some states, women can be prosecuted for engaging in certain behaviors, including methamphetamine or crack use during pregnancy, that might have contributed to birth defects or a stillbirth.

Some people who oppose such laws view them as a "slippery slope in the making," where pregnant women who miscarry potentially could be prosecuted for not taking prenatal vitamins, the Star reports.

Groups that support abortion rights say that so-called "fetal protectionism" -- which aims to entitle a fetus to the same rights as a person -- is contrary to how the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which effectively outlawed state abortion bans, according to the Star.

More than 30 states allow for fetal homicide prosecutions, the Star reports.