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Article: Fetuses start to gain legal recognition as 'persons' separate from mother.(Originated from Knight-Ridder Newspapers)
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
- Article date:
- July 31, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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WASHINGTON _ Without drawing a breath of air, seeing the light of day or feeling a mother's caress, the fetus is gradually gaining legal protection as a ``person'' in the United States.
The trend, triggered partly by advances in medical knowledge of fetal life, reverberates in both criminal and civil law. Advocates of women's rights are worried about the implications.
``Our fear is that once the fetus is legally recognized as an independent person prior to birth, it undermines a key holding of Roe vs. Wade,'' said Kathryn Kolbert, referring to Supreme Court's landmark abortion-rights ruling. Such a view ``leads to a lack of respect for a woman's ...