Sound bytes for pro choice

"If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament," -Florence Kennedy

Good websites:
http://www.imnotsorry.net/
http://advocatesforpregnantwomen.org/
http://reproductiverights.org/
http://www.aheartbreakingchoice.com/Default.aspx

McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine, baby: Vox populi A popular term for an infant, or the yougest person in a family, from birth to toddlerhood - circa age 2.

Mosby's Medical Dictionary, baby: an infant or young child

medicaldictionaryweb infant: a child between 1 and 23 months of age.

Mosby's Dental child:child,
1. a person of either gender between the time of birth and adolescence, or puberty.

No babies are harmed in the performance of an abortion.

Webster's 11th edition online defines "human being" as "human(n)", and then defines "human(n)" as "a bipedal primate mammal (Homo sapiens) : man; broadly : hominid". It then defines "man" as : a "bipedal primate mammal (Homo sapiens) that is anatomically related to the great apes but distinguished especially by notable development of the brain with a resultant capacity for articulate speech and abstract reasoning" or "person".

In what way does the fetus display personhood or abstract reason?

Person :
An entity with legal rights and existence including the ability to sue and be sued, to sign contracts, to receive gifts, to appear in court either by themselves or by lawyer and, generally, other powers incidental to the full expression of the entity in law. Individuals are "persons" in law unless they are minors or under some kind of other incapacity such as a court finding of mental incapacity.
-floridalegalanswers . com

"Mere possession of the genetic material for a future human being does not make a human being. ..A purely genetic description of the human species does not describe a human being. A human being represents a whole other level of organization, as distinct from a simple embryo as an embryo is distinct from an egg and sperm. It is the dynamics between genes and environment that make a human being. .." -Michael S. Gazzaniga, Ph.D.



"Sentience arises when the nervous system is functionally sophisticated enough to enable the animal to cognitively and emotionally experience its status as bad, neutral, or good. Most vertebrates and some invertebrates, but perhaps especially mammals and birds, are considered to be capable of sentience. [a] nervous system that is capable of sentience must also be in a state of consciousness for an animal to have cognitive and emotional experiences ... " David Mellor, Galloping Colts


Dr. Wolpe stated that the proposition "that from the moment of conception, an embryo or fetus is a 'whole, separate, unique, living human being' . . . is not a scientific or medical fact, nor is there a scientific or medical consensus to that effect." --Planned Parenthood v Rounds (S. Dakota)
Dr. Wolpe further averred that "to describe an embryo or fetus scientifically and factually, one would say that a living embryo or fetus in utero is a developing organism of the species Homo Sapiens which may become a self-sustaining member of the species if no organic or environmental incident interrupts its gestation.".-Planned Parenthood v Rounds(S. Dakota)

Mellor notes that when faced with other potential threats, like an acute shortage of oxygen,the fetus does not rouse itself but rather shuts down more completely in an attempt to conserve energy and promote survival. This is markedly different from the reaction of an infant , who will thrash about in an effort to dislodge whatever is blocking its airway. "A fetus," Mellor says, "is not a baby who just hasn't been born yet." -First Ache, NYTimes, 2008

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