A new bill constructing a wave of controversy in the U.S. House of Representatives establishes some new debates around the reproductive rights.
Republican Representative Eric Burlison of Missouri’s legislation would reclassify personhood under the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment.
The Life at Conception Act is the title of the bill that is trying to give the unborn children the legal protection as ‘persons’ from the moment of conception.
The debate is continuing among lawmakers, medical professions and the general public and are strongly of two minds about the proposal.
Congressman Burlison has championed the bill, stating the bill is in line with how he believes the U.S. Constitution was intended to be read.
On Facebook, he also said: ”I am proud to introduce the Life at Conception Act, which reaffirms the original intent of the 14th Amendment by declaring that the term ‘person’ includes all human beings from the moment of conception.”
Additionally, he defended the bill, stating “It is a scientific fact that life beings at conception.”
If passed, the bill could have very big implications on healthcare and women’s rights throughout the country.
The bill’s supporters say the bill was to close a legal gap left open by the Supreme Court’s decision in “Dobbs v. Tech. It overturned “Roe v. Wade“.
Proponents of reproductive rights say it is necessary to recognize unborn children as persons under federal law for equality under the Constitution.
Beyond this, Burlison doubled down in a press release that read: “Every life is a sacred gift from God, and every life is deserving of dignity and protection from conception.”
“It is now time for Congress to fulfill its duty to define personhood in the statute books by passing the Life at Conception Act using its constitutional authority,” he continued.
Nevertheless, opponents call such a law catastrophic, especially for women’s healthcare and reproductive freedom.
And critics say that defining personhood at conception can spawn legal fights over birth control, IVF treatments and even miscarriages.
Medical experts have also come out to state that limiting abortion may lead to dangerous delays to miscarriage treatment and to pregnancy related complications.
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists previously has reported that higher maternal mortality rates and higher degrees of medical risk are correlated with abortion bans.
In addition, studies indicate that lack of legal abortion services can have detrimental effects on the quality of healthcare overall, for both men and women.
However, pro life organizations have supported the bill strongly since it has been taken as an important step in protecting the rights of the unborn.
“It treats every human being as a unique human being beginning from the time of conception,” said Brandy Meeks, President and CEO of the Vitae Foundation, who lauded the bill. “The Life at Conception Act recognizes that a human being is a unique human being from the first time that human being exists.”
What makes this measure the gold standard for recognising the value of every life is the acknowledgment, she added, that the legal rights of preborn children stem from the 14th Amendment.
The bill, if enacted, would set up a national standard with the force of law that trumps state abortion laws — a possible change to America’s reproductive healthcare.
With a majority in the House of Representatives of 218 out of 435, it would not then move to the Senate, where it would require 51 votes to pass.
If so, it would ban abortion around the country, stripping it of legal access in all 50 states.
Already, there is widespread debate about the introduction of the bill, with legal experts predicting that the bill would be filed immediately with legal challenges.
In the meantime, the nation waits for the bill to travel to one of the most historic pieces in the nation’s history.
Will this bill truly change our reproductive rights, or will its passage be stuck in a time warp clueless to the community fighting against it with superhuman razor sharp teeth?
Only time will tell.
Feature Image Credit: (Canva Pro)