A majority of Americans believe that life either begins at conception (46%) or when an embryo is implanted in a woman's uterus (12%), according to a special Newsweek poll.
Another quarter (24%) believe human life begins when the fetus is viable, i.e., can survive outside the womb. Only 11 percent believe that human life begins at birth. The findings are part of the June 9 cover story, “Should a Fetus Have Rights?,”.
Newsweek's Debra Rosenberg reports that 28 states have fetal-homicide laws on the books. In many states, the laws take effect only after a fetus is able to live outside the uterus, around 24 weeks. But 14 states cover a developing child from the moment an embryo implants in a woman's uterus.
The Newsweek Poll shows that when it comes to criminal penalties for killing a fetus, Americans widely believe that the unborn child should be treated as a human life. When asked whether prosecutors should be able to bring separate murder charges against someone who kills a fetus still in the womb, majority (56%) of Americans say this should be done in all cases where a pregnant woman is murdered and another quarter (28%) would allow it only in cases where the fetus is considered viable. There is majority support for charging a killer with a double murder among Republicans (61%), Democrats (54%), and Independents (55%). Almost three-quarters (71%) of those who are pro-life and less than half (41%) of those who are pro-choice hold such views.
The Newsweek Poll indicates that although nearly half (46%) of Americans would consider a fertilized egg the beginning of human life, significantly fewer (33%) say they regard the extra human embryos created in fertility clinics as “children to be adopted.” About a quarter (27%) think of them more as a “potential source of human organs than can be donated” and another quarter (22%) think of them as neither children nor a source of organs. By a margin of 49 percent to 37 percent, Americans feel it is okay for clinics to destroy these extra human embryos if their patients approve. Among those who are pro-choice, that margin widens to 69 percent versus 22 percent.
See the Newsweek coverage online.
(This update courtesy of LifeSite News.)
