The Unborn Victims of Violence Act
Rather than go on a rant about how people need to simply ignore other people's personal choices when it is not physically possible for those choices to have any impact one them, I'll just point you at Moving Ideas for much, much more documentation on this issue.
My advice to anti-abortion rights activists: don't have an abortion.
My advice to anyone else: think carefully before you put yourself in a position where you need to consider an abortion. You ought to be having safe sex anyway.
In Danger: A Woman's Right to Choose - The Unborn Victims of Violence Act | 3.15.04
On March 4th, the House of Representatives passed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (HR 1997) by a margin of 254-163. The bill now heads to the Senate. If passed, the act will make it a crime to kill or harm an embryo or fetus while attacking a pregnant woman, therefore charging the criminal with two separate and punishable crimes. This is widely viewed as a win for anti-abortion advocates because it gives rights to an embryo or fetus at any stage of development. Those in opposition believe that this act could conflict with current Supreme Court rulings that govern a woman's right to have an abortion. Pro-choice advocates point out that:
This Bill Dangerously Separates the Fetus and the Pregnant Woman
Creating a separate offense for injury to the fetus would grant the fetus legal rights separate from those of its mother. The legislation would modify the current legal structure by recognizing the fetus as a legal victim and granting it an unprecedented status in federal law.
* Memo on Attempts to Create Fetal Rights: The Unborn Victims of Violence, American Civil Liberties Union
* Do Fetal Rights Limit Mothers' Rights (PDF), National Conference of State Legislatures
