Legal Regulation of Pregnancy and Childbirth
THE CHILD: AN ENCYCLOPEDIC COMPANION, University of Chicago Press, 2009
8 Pages Posted: 26 Feb 2010 Last revised: 25 Mar 2020
Date Written: February 24, 2010
Abstract
This piece, a short entry in The Child: An Encyclopedic Companion, examines the legal regulation of pregnant women. In particular, the article discusses whether and under what circumstances the state can force pregnant women to undergo unwanted medical treatments or physically restrain or punish pregnant women for engaging in otherwise legal conduct when the state believes that these interventions are necessary to protect the fetus from potential harms.
Keywords: pregnancy, women's rights, sexuality, family, bodily integrity, procreation, abortion, sex, coercion, women, Due Process, privacy
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