Is an Abortion a Crime After the Fetus is Capable of Human Thought?

I think logic stands together with reason when it comes to a third person. And I believe a fetus becomes a person when it becomes capable of human thought. I happen to believe that human life begins at approximately the end of the first trimester. At that point it should become a matter of law. Therefore, the decision moves from the hands of the woman to the bailiwick of the judge.

I strongly believe in holding personal choice related laws to a minimum. As a career police officer I learned very early the many shades between black and white. Good laws are invaluable, even when unpopular. But to enforce all the laws, all the time is ridiculous. I regularly used my own discretion while policing matters that hadn't proved harmful to others. In those situations, I feel that you have to judge them on a case-by-case basis. On the whole, in an individual sense, the US justice system is an empathetic one. As it should be. I can truly empathise with a 15 year old rape victim who keeps her pregnancy a secret for 5 months. It's a sad fact. But that doesn't make the living being she is carrying any less human, in my opinion.

One supposed edge of Islam over Christianity or Judaism is that the Koran defines the exact behavior, from waking up to going to bed, for every believer in every circumstance. Taken literally, this leads to fanaticism and repression. And this is with the assumption that the leaders steer the believers are wise. Not bloody likely. So I agree in freedom of choice when it applies. I'm sure that I'm more socially liberal than the majority of Americans.

But with personal choice comes personal responsibility. The intent of a well-meaning couple doesn't mitigate murder. I believe at some point it becomes murder. The same body of law that allows partial birth abortions at full term also considers it a double homicide to kill a pregnant mother in the first trimester. Where is the logic or reason in that? We have our cake and eat it, too.

Some say that there are no physiological guidelines between the moment of conception and the time of birth. In what sense? It is a fact that the brain stem comes alive at around 3 months. Electrical impulses begin. The concept of thought arrives. In my opinion, uneducated as it is, this is when a fetus becomes a human being. This is when a civilized society owes that person protection of it's fundamental rights.

Well, that's how I feel. I'm not cherry picking my opinions. It is my logic. Given the choice, I'd rather it be that a fetus somehow magically becomes a human being at the moment the cord is cut. But that isn't logical, nor is it reasonable.

Anyway, I concede that my logic could be wrong. I'm open to anything that could sway my opinion.