How Words Shaped the Fetal Personhood Movement in US Courts and Society (1884-1973)
Subsequent Statement of Responsibility
Maienschein, Jane
.PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC
Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.
Arizona State University
Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.
2020
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
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353
DISSERTATION (THESIS) NOTE
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Ph.D.
Body granting the degree
Arizona State University
Text preceding or following the note
2020
SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
The 1973 Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade was a significant event in the story of fetal personhood-the story of whether embryos and fetuses are legal persons. Roe legalized abortion care in the United States (US). However, the story of fetal personhood began long before the 1970s. People have been talking about embryos, fetuses, and their status in science, the law, and society for centuries. I studied the history of fetal personhood in the United States, tracing its origins from Ancient Rome and Medieval England to its first appearance in a US courtroom in 1884 and then to the Supreme Court's decision in 1973.