It would seem some state should be jumping to be the first to define a fetus as a person, hoping to lead the nation back from Roe v. Wade and allow abortions to again be outlawed.
But, just Thursday, Virgina's legislature decided to carry such a bill over till 2013, killing it for this year. Utah's potential bill is an open jacket, of sorts, the bill being opened under the title Joint Resolution on Human Life, SJR 23, but no language being in it. Nor is any action expected, as the sponsor, Aaron Osmond, decided just after filing it that he was going to pursue other legislative bills. There is also another open jacket, titled Abortion Revisions, HB 468 by Stephen Sandstrom, which I mistakenly took to be the open bill on defining when life begins. Inasmuch as it is open and without language, perhaps it could be used for such a purpose.
Across the nation, there are rumblings of such bills, as the pro-life movement sees this as a means of overturning Roe v. Wade, but so far no state has stepped forth to be the first to define an unborn child as a living person.
Roe v. Wade is the famous 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. In writing the majority opinion, Justice Blackmun said the ruling was based on the assumption a fetus is not a person. With science now saying a fetus is a human, if a state were to also define life as beginning at conception, a case might again come before the Supreme Court and Roe v. Wade be overturned.
Utah could potentially be that state, but I am not seeing any indication that the effort is going to be taken any further this year. Such a pity. Would that Utah's legislators would do this.
(This was updated Feb. 28.)
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