Does U.S. federal law prohibit dismemberment abortions on living prebirth humans after they have developed enough to make coordinated movements of their arms and legs?
Correct Answer
Per the medical textbook "Before We Are Born: Essentials of Embryology and Birth Defects": "Limb movements, which occur at the end of the embryonic period (8 weeks), become coordinated by the 14th week." Currently, there are no federal laws against dismemberment abortions at any stage of development, and they are the most common type of late-term abortion. Per the Washington Post, in a dismemberment abortion, "fetal limbs are pulled off the body in utero, sometimes while the fetus is still alive." As of May 2019, 12 states had enacted bans on dismemberment abortions, but most of these laws were not in effect due to court rulings.
DocumentationDismemberment AbortionsHuman Development