John Oliver Criticizes Fetal Personhood Laws, Citing Impact on Women's Rights and Autonomy
On his HBO show, John Oliver addressed the debate surrounding fetal personhood laws in the U.S., highlighting how these laws, which grant legal rights and protections to fetuses and sometimes embryos, are central to the anti-abortion movement. Oliver noted that approximately one-third of U.S. states have enacted such laws, leading to instances where women have lost custody of their children due to pregnancy-related issues. He cited cases like an Ohio woman charged with abuse of a corpse after a miscarriage and an Alabama woman charged with manslaughter after miscarrying following a shooting. Oliver criticized the application of these laws to criminalize conduct during pregnancy, such as drug or alcohol use, pointing out that hospitals often drug-test pregnant women without their knowledge and report positive results to child protective services in at least 27 states. He mentioned instances of false positives, such as a woman being restricted from seeing her children after eating a poppy seed bagel. Oliver ... 
