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ven a child inside the womb already has life.

No less than the Constitution recognizes the life of the


unborn from conception, that the State must protect equally with the life of the mother. If the unborn
already has life, then the cessation thereof even prior to the child being delivered, qualifies as death.
[Emphases in the original]

In Gonzales v. Carhart,  Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the US Supreme Court, said that the
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State "has respect for human life at all stages in the pregnancy" and "a legitimate and substantial
interest in preserving and promoting fetal life." Invariably, in the decision, the fetus was referred to,
or cited, as a baby or a child.
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Intent of the Framers

Records of the Constitutional Convention also shed light on the intention of the Framers regarding
the term "conception" used in Section 12, Article II of the Constitution. From their deliberations, it
clearly refers to the moment of "fertilization." The records reflect the following:

Rev. Rigos: In Section 9, page 3, there is a sentence which reads:

"The State shall equally protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from the moment of
conception."

When is the moment of conception?

xxx

Mr. Villegas: As I explained in the sponsorship speech, it is when the ovum is fertilized by the sperm
that there is human life. x x x.
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