Does a foetus have more rights than its mother?

[eddm]

There have been a number of threads about different news items related to this issue, but this draws then together:

shocking

This is frightening. Whatever your views on abortion does this not reduce women to incubators rather than persons in their own right?

I would have thought the mother should have equal if not more rights but depends on why termination is necessary. Do you think all this is a backlash against women in the workplace etc. there seems to be a move to disempower women particularly in USA look at that book on how to treat your husband

This came up in that recent case where the mother refused to have a c-section to deliver her twins after she was told one would most likely die without it and one was indeed stillborn later.

It's mad.

The other side to this coin is what happens when women refuse professional help and the baby dies? That is on another thread. The baby has no legal rights until it is born so it can result in a very difficult situation for midwives.

Here is the other thread
here

we all know that taking drugs and smoking and drinking can harm a child in pregnancy. if this is indeed against the law, there should be more regard for the wider family eg if a woman already has children - what good to the family is it if their mother is in prison - what effect and cost does this have on the social care system and what action post birth can be taken to help women who suffer from substance abuse. however it does make me wonder if you give birth an hour after having a glass of red wine - would they take your child away. when will they take your child away fro smoking? and when will they take your child away and charge you and put you in prison for not eating correctly. then when can these women of predominantly poor backgrounds counter sue the american government for providing them with inadequate eduation, job prospects, health care system, information to help with proper decision making.

Well said Custardo.