Abortion laws and the physician. II.

Abstract

THE proposals for abortion reform generally proceed in three directions: extending current law to allow abortion if the pregnancy entails a substantial risk to the health (physical or mental) of the woman; introducing the concept of allowing abortion to prevent birth of a defective child when there is a substantial risk that such a birth would occur; and the allowance of abortion when conception occurred as a result of forcible rape – which may be extended to include felonious intercourse (in most states, defined as carnal knowledge of a girl under sixteen years of age).Several states already allow an . . .