Quote Originally Posted by rosebud View Post
Only 1.5 percent of abortions in the US are performed after 21 weeks. There is zero viability outside the womb prior to 21 weeks, so really, this is not an issue that comes up and if it does come up, it is usually in the context of the mother's life being in danger or some fatal defect in the fetus. So, your question doesn't deal with the real world.
That doesn't answer the basis of the question. If you declare that a fetus is not a baby, at what point does it become one? Is it a baby at 21 weeks, 22 weeks, at successful full term birth?

I understand that it's important to get the terminology right when discussing this subject since any indication that an aborted fetus is an actual person harms the "pro choice" movement, so, I'm trying to understand when that change actually takes place. If it's at viability, let's say 21 weeks, does it make a difference if it's 20 weeks and 4 days when the mother decides to abort?

My conservative nature forces me to always err on the side of caution. That's what makes me suspicious of all loaded terms and convenient absolute truths.