“Fetuses do not have rights, pregnant women do” Ari Armstrong. One can say that the controversies about the rights of a fetus are amongst believers and non-believers. Believers of God state that He does everything for a reason and that the second a fetus is conceived then it has a right to life. Whereas non-believers think otherwise, they view the world in a scientific perspective and take into consideration the stages/periods of a fetus as well as the pregnant women herself. There are exactly three periods in the prenatal development: the germinal period, the embryonic period, and the fetal period. Another given name for these periods are, the first trimester (weeks 4-12), the second trimester (week 16-24), and the third trimester (week 28-36/39).
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It is when the egg and the sperm of the parents come in union and create a cell known as a zygote. During this period the development of the spinal cord, nervous system, gastrointestinal system, heart, and lungs, take place (Santrock, 2015). Following that, the embryonic period takes place during the two to eight weeks of conception where the fetus’ face is developing and its brain is forming. Which then leads to the final stage, the fetal period, which starts around the tenth week of conception and lasts seven …show more content…
Even if doctors can distinguish the sex during their twelfth week, has coordinated movements in their sixteenth week, and their heartbeat is audible with just an ordinary stethoscope in the twentieth week (Santrock, 2015), a fetus should not have any rights what so ever. Once the fetus is at twenty-four weeks then I believe it has the right to live. However, if a mother wants to get an abortion anytime before that then I believe that the mother has the right to do what she wishes.
With that saying, I do not think that the development of the child’s senses should be considered part of the prochoice/prolife debate. What should be taken into consideration though are the circumstances of the mother. People should ask the questions, would the mother be able to financially support her and her child? How was this child conceived? Was it through rape, unprotected sex, or from her spouse? Is the mother emotionally/mentally stable? These are the questions that should be considered during the first twenty-four weeks of the mother being pregnant and not so much the development of its
It is when the egg and the sperm of the parents come in union and create a cell known as a zygote. During this period the development of the spinal cord, nervous system, gastrointestinal system, heart, and lungs, take place (Santrock, 2015). Following that, the embryonic period takes place during the two to eight weeks of conception where the fetus’ face is developing and its brain is forming. Which then leads to the final stage, the fetal period, which starts around the tenth week of conception and lasts seven …show more content…
Even if doctors can distinguish the sex during their twelfth week, has coordinated movements in their sixteenth week, and their heartbeat is audible with just an ordinary stethoscope in the twentieth week (Santrock, 2015), a fetus should not have any rights what so ever. Once the fetus is at twenty-four weeks then I believe it has the right to live. However, if a mother wants to get an abortion anytime before that then I believe that the mother has the right to do what she wishes.
With that saying, I do not think that the development of the child’s senses should be considered part of the prochoice/prolife debate. What should be taken into consideration though are the circumstances of the mother. People should ask the questions, would the mother be able to financially support her and her child? How was this child conceived? Was it through rape, unprotected sex, or from her spouse? Is the mother emotionally/mentally stable? These are the questions that should be considered during the first twenty-four weeks of the mother being pregnant and not so much the development of its