Quote Originally Posted by IMPress Polly View Post
Several state legislatures are taking it upon themselves to define "personhood" as something that begins at one's first heartbeat, i.e. which is defined by the presence of a natural heartbeat. Okay well what about children, or any other people, with artificial hearts? I guess they're...not people then...right?

You see, people, personhood is so much more than just having a heartbeat, human DNA, or "potential". (Any egg cell or sperm has the "potential" to become a person, but that obviously doesn't mean it deserves legal rights, and we can all recognize that much.) Everything of value to human beings -- from our ability to perceive the world around us to our ability to form relationships -- is made possible by birth. Without these sorts of capacities, our's is but a shell of a life in comparison; a life only in a technical sense, not in a recognizable one.
So Polly what gestation period would you legalize abortion through. For me 20 weeks is perfect. But my personal "personhood definition" is viability possible viability outside the womb. Since that cannot be determined readily or reasonably in every case we need a line in the sand gestation period that ensures an aborted fetus is not viable outside the womb. Some say conception. Some say first breath of air. Some would have even that extended a bit.