An argument for foetal protection within a framework of legal abortion in South Africa

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dc.contributor.authorMoosa, Najma
dc.date.accessioned2017-06-08T13:38:37Z
dc.date.available2017-06-08T13:38:37Z
dc.date.issued2016
dc.description.abstractTermination of pregnancy (abortion) and foetal protection remain a challenging topic in South Africa where abortion is legalised and largely decriminalised. As a general rule, an unborn (nasciturus) does not have legal status and a human right to life, until born alive. A meaningful engagement with South African law highlights that the life of an unborn may be worthy of protection in some abortion cases. This paper proffers an argument favouring increased foetal protection that goes beyond the usual pro-life/pro-choice perspectives. It proposes, as an exception to the general rule, the application of the nasciturus maxim as a "rule" to conditionally advance legal subjectivity to an unborn and thereby afford it rights. It argues that such application may be reinforced when combined with a "legal" foetal viability implicit in the abortion law. Such proposal does not require any amendment to the existing law.en_US
dc.description.accreditationIBSSen_US
dc.identifier.citationMoosa, N (2016). An argument for foetal protection within a framework of legal abortion in South Africa. Medicine and Law, 35:605-624en_US
dc.identifier.issn0723-1393
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10566/2942
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.privacy.showsubmitterFALSE
dc.publisherInternational Centre of Medicine and Lawen_US
dc.rightsPublisher has granted permission to upload the published version of this article.
dc.status.ispeerreviewedTRUE
dc.subjectTermination of pregnancy (abortion)en_US
dc.subjectFoetal viabilityen_US
dc.subjectNasciturus (unborn)en_US
dc.subjectSouth Africaen_US
dc.titleAn argument for foetal protection within a framework of legal abortion in South Africaen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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