I designate it to be a human being in a zygote, embryo or fetus stage of human development, lacking ensoulment until birth as is common and emotion Jewish in all civilized mankind’s belief systems.
NotfooledbyW cmxxxvi. Findlaw link:
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-supreme-court/410/113.html
It should be sufficient to note briefly the wide divergence of thinking on this most sensitive and difficult question.
There has always been strong support for the view that life does not begin until live birth. This was the belief of the Stoics.
56 It appears to be the predominant, though not the unanimous, attitude of the Jewish faith.
57 It may be taken to represent also the position of a large segment of the Protestant community, insofar as that can be ascertained; organized groups that have taken a formal position on the abortion issue have generally regarded abortion as a matter for the conscience of the individual and her family.
58As we have noted, the common law found greater significance in quickening. Physicians and their scientific colleagues have regarded that event with less interest and have tended to focus either upon conception, upon live birth, or upon the interim point at which the fetus becomes "viable," that is, potentially able to live outside the mother's womb, albeit with artificial aid.
59 Viability is usually placed at about seven months (28 weeks) but may occur earlier, even at 24 weeks.
60 The Aristotelian theory of "mediate animation," that held sway throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in Europe, continued to be official Roman Catholic dogma until the 19th century, despite opposition to this "ensoulment" theory from those in the Church who would recognize the existence of life from [410 U.S. 113, 161] the moment of conception.
61The latter is now, of course, the official belief of the Catholic Church. As one brief amicus discloses, this is a view strongly held by many non-Catholics as well, and by many physicians. Substantial problems for precise definition of this view are posed, however, by new embryological data that purport to indicate that conception is a "process" over time, rather than an event, and by new medical techniques such as menstrual extraction, the "morning-after" pill, implantation of embryos, artificial insemination, and even artificial wombs.
62 In areas other than criminal abortion, the law has been reluctant to endorse any theory that life, as we recognize it, begins before live birth or to accord legal rights to the unborn except in narrowly defined situations and except when
the rights are contingent upon live
nfbw 241120 Vrwbsw00936