Question

Explain the concept of "personhood" and its relevance to discussions regarding reproductive rights and freedom.

Answer 1

Ans) Personhood is the status of being a person. Defining personhood is a controversial topic in philosophy and law and is closely tied with legal and political concepts of citizenship, equality, and liberty.

- Prenatal personhood measures attempt to secure legal rights for fertilized eggs, embryos, and fetuses by defining life as beginning at the moment of “fertilization” or “conception.”
- Some prenatal personhood measures have been proposed as state constitutional amendments that would provide that “person”
means “every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the functional equivalent thereof.”
- Other prenatal personhood measures have been proposed as laws that would insert a similar definition of “person” into a state’s
criminal code.
- Prenatal personhood efforts have been proposed in the form of ballot initiatives and legislative bills and as both statutes and state constitutional amendments.