Abortion rights advocates are raising alarms over bills in 10 U.S. states (e.g., Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas) that would treat embryos/fetuses as “unborn children” eligible for homicide charges against those seeking abortions.
Bill Details
These 2025 proposals—mostly in states with near-total bans post-Dobbs—aim to prosecute patients directly (vs. just providers). They include narrow exceptions like unintentional fetal death during life-saving maternal care, but remove prior protections for pregnant people. South Carolina’s death penalty availability heightens fears.
Status and Outlook
Three bills (Indiana, North Dakota, Oklahoma) failed early. Experts like UC Davis Prof. Mary Ziegler see low passage odds due to unpopularity—even among conservatives—but note rising frequency since Dobbs v. Jackson (2022), signaling fetal personhood pushes. Texas recently arrested a midwife for post-Dobbs abortions.
Broader Context
Ties to Trump’s Jan 2026 executive order affirming sex “at conception,” plus rising pregnancy criminalization (210 cases in Dobbs’ first year per Pregnancy Justice). Advocates warn it’s an “anti-abortion playbook” step toward total control, persistent regardless of short-term wins.
Relevant to your South Carolina ties: Watch SC’s bill closely amid its ban and capital punishment. Thoughts on fetal personhood’s legal trajectory?
