Abortion: The Pro-Life & Pro-Choice Positions.

At the heart of the Abortion issue is the question of Personhood (of the Fetus). At what point in the process of gestation can we say the fetus is a ‘person’?  Currently, the supreme court has endorsed 24 – 26 weeks as the point at which the fetus is able to live on its own (viability). The issue with this is being able to reliably measure viability as it varies based on place and available technology. There are a few more proposed ways to determine personhood (the decisive moment):
•Determining the moment when the brain develops or the point at which the brain of the fetus begins to function:
•Determining Sentinence – the point where the fetus is capable of experiencing sensations, especially pain
•Determining Quickening – the first time the mother feels the fetus moving inside her womb
•Determining the appearance of Humanness of the fetus – the point at which the fetus begins to resemble a baby
•Birth as the decisive moment
•Implantation – the point at which the embryo establishes its presence in the womb by signals
•The point of conception as the decisive moment