Wednesday 15 August 2018

Fetal rights

On this independence day, as a citizen of a free country we can excersice our rights as human beings. Our law and constitution empowers us to do so. There is also united nations organiztaion above all countries which recognizes human rights and looks into its implementation. A person whose rights are violated is a victim of of some kind of injustice be it either societal, criminal, or mental etc. These issues are being addresed on a daily basis by the living talking acting human beings.

Animals; there rights have also been recognised and protected over the time.
What about the unborn? What about the fetus? Isn't it living? Does it have any rights? How can a fetus excersice its rights?
Many questions arise from the term "FETAL RIGHTS".
As far as common sense and knowledge goes, a fetus can have only interest and that is of getting born. This has been recognised upto some extent by the Hippocratic oath (which restricts the usage of abortifacients on the basis of medical ethics) taken by doctors as soon as they enter the med school.

Many countries recognise the fetus as living from the day of conception. The free law of USA too recognises a fetus as a living personality from the day of conception, yet recognises the choice of mother as well. Thereby maintaining a balance. Any misconduct done to a pregnant female with or without the knowledge about her pregnancy is punishable as per their law.

But in india a fetus gains any recognition only after the fetus becomes viable. Viable means the stage at which if the fetus is delivered it can survive. The Medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) act and the Pre conception and pre natal diagnostic techniques act (pc-pndt act) uphold the interest of the fetus in the indian constitution. But the choice of the mother is not recognised in India owing to the problem of gender selection, female feoticide, and the skewed sex ratio of the country. Yet, it allows safe abortion for victims of rape under the mtp act.
What is your take on fetal rights? When should the fetus get its rights? Is 'getting born' truly the only right of a fetus? What about fetal health? Doesn't a fetus have a right to health? Does the mother really have the rights to decide who takes birth and when it takes birth from her womb after conception?
Think about it.

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