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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
National
Noa Yachot

Who will be prosecuted for abortion if fetuses are recognized as people?

Even with Roe in place, the notion that fetuses have status separate from the people who carry them has helped fuel the criminalization of at least 1,700 people.
The notion that fetuses have status separate from the people who carry them has helped fuel the criminalization of at least 1,700 people. Photograph: Andrew Kelly/Reuters

As America prepares for a future in which the federal protection of abortion rights is removed as the supreme court appears set to overturn the Roe v Wade ruling, experts are warning that it could pave the way for increased prosecutions of those who seek abortions.

Last week a Louisiana bill classifying abortion as murder was withdrawn after causing a firestorm of controversy, mainly for seeking to subject people seeking to end their own pregnancies to criminal prosecution. For years, much of the anti-abortion movement has insisted that the criminalization of abortion should target providers but exempt pregnant people.

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