Democrats warn that GOP’s efforts to impose fetal personhood laws signal a nationwide push for an abortion ban.
While Republican lawmakers have long argued that the US Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade simply returned the issue of abortion laws to state control, many in the GOP are now advancing a controversial notion of “fetal personhood” that could pave the way for a nationwide ban on abortion.
Despite claims by Republican representatives, such as Fred Keller, who told the House Judiciary Committee that the Court’s decision in Dobbs v Jackson merely allowed states to set their own abortion laws, the push for fetal personhood is gaining traction. GOP lawmakers are now asserting that fetuses, embryos, and fertilized eggs should be afforded full legal protections, sparking concern among Democrats that Republicans are seeking to impose a nationwide ban on abortion.
Erin Hawley, a prominent conservative legal figure, echoed Republican sentiments that the Supreme Court's ruling was a return to "judicial modesty," claiming it corrected a "50-year error" and placed the power back in the hands of elected representatives. Hawley, who worked on the case central to the Dobbs decision, described the ruling as the “project of a lifetime.”
The debate over personhood was heated in the House Judiciary Committee, where Republican US Rep. Jody Hice questioned whether a woman could give birth to something “other than a human being, like a turtle or a breakfast taco,” in an attempt to make a point about personhood. Similarly, Rep. Ralph Norman, drawing false parallels to infanticide, equated abortion with murder, while pushing claims that elective abortions were performed right after birth.
Georgia state Rep. Renitta Shannon strongly rebuffed these claims, defending abortion access as a necessity for families in difficult situations. She responded to Rep. Norman, saying, “Nobody would carry a pregnancy and decide on a Monday to have an abortion because they’re bored.”
Meanwhile, in Arizona, a federal judge recently struck down the state’s fetal personhood law, and in Ohio, a state legislator introduced a bill granting full constitutional rights to "unborn human individuals from the moment of conception."
In the wake of the Supreme Court ruling, nine states, including Alabama, Arkansas, and Texas, have already moved to outlaw abortion in most cases, with up to 26 states potentially following suit. Six states are considering fetal personhood legislation, which would grant legal rights to embryos and fetuses, further restricting abortion access.
In Michigan, a 1931 law that bans abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest remains blocked by a court-issued injunction, but it could be enforced if the law is interpreted to cover self-managed abortions. Lawmakers in Michigan, where nearly 58% of voters oppose the Supreme Court's ruling, are pushing for a state constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights. However, the state’s Republican-dominated legislature, aided by gerrymandered districts, has blocked efforts to pass abortion rights legislation.
Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Carolyn Maloney, have voiced alarm over the GOP’s plans. Maloney warned that Republicans are "openly planning to impose a national ban on abortion," warning of the profound damage such a policy would inflict.
Rep. Jamie Raskin condemned the fragmented state of healthcare access, where abortion laws vary dramatically by state or even county, and questioned whether the country could endure this disjointed system.
Fatima Goss Graves, president of the National Women’s Law Center, expressed deep concern about the erosion of constitutional rights, calling the Supreme Court’s decision a historical precedent that would deprive future generations of the freedoms their predecessors fought for. "This is the first time in our nation’s history that the Supreme Court has taken away an individual right in the constitution," she said, adding, “Now you have grandmothers looking at their grandchildren and realising they’re going to have fewer rights. It cannot stand.”
Hello world!
Pic of the week: Sunset at margate beach
The first day’s journey was through the pink fields
The first day’s journey was through the pink fields
The first day’s journey was through the pink fields