John Oliver on fetal personhood: ‘It effectively treats women as incubators’

‘It does not seem radical to me to be able to control your own life and body through [pregnancy].’ Photograph: HBO

On his HBO show on Sunday night, John Oliver discussed the debate over fetal personhood and how the topic has become central to the anti-abortion movement in the US.

About a third of US states have established fetal personhood by law, giving legal rights and protections to fetuses and in some cases embryos. As a result, hundreds of women have lost custody to their children for reasons related to their pregnancies.