Reply #11: Doctors "wrote" Roe v Wade. In that sense they weighed in on the issue. [View All]

[Hamlette]

read the decision. It says until a fetus is viable (capable of life outside the womb) the mother has some rights that should be considered in the equation. They probably should have written it more as a civil rights test than a privacy test but the reasoning is sound.

Once a fetus is viable, the woman's rights have to be balanced against the rights of the viable fetus. If its life or death for the mom, she wins. If not, state law can limit her right. (3rd trimester issue)

It's not a definition of personhood but as close as science and law can get on such a question.