fe·tus   /ˈfitəs/ Show Spelled[fee-tuhs] Show IPA

–noun, plural -tus·es. Embryology .

(used chiefly of viviparous mammals) the young of an animal in the womb or egg, esp. in the later stages of development when the body structures are in the recognizable form of its kind, in humans after the end of the second month of gestation.

Fetus is used to refer to the child at a particular stage of his or her development. Calling the child - and it is a child - a fetus is a very poor attempt to sanitize the act. It'd be similar to saying, "We're not talking about a young man or woman, for that matter. We're talking about an adolescent." Please, explain what the child's level of development has to do with whether or not we can kill it.

Also, suppose I agree that the child can be killed at the behest of the mother with absolutely no say-so from father. It seems to me that the child is, for all intents and purposes, the sole property of the mother. The family courts certainly seem to think so. I say that during the time it's legal for the woman to have an abortion, the father can pay the cost of an abortion and simply walk away. If the woman decides to abort, no problem. If she doesn't, well, the baby's hers. No child support, no nuthin. The woman has no excuse. You're probably gonna wanna say something about how the man has responsibilities to the child he brou- blah blah blah. Anyone who supports suctioning babies out of the womb no longer has the right to say "what about the baby". If the man doesn't wanna pay the price, no whining from him when the baby's born. Any objections?