Rand Paul floats fetal rights bill

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) introduced legislation Thursday to effectively outlaw U.S. abortions by counting fetuses as citizens.

Paul's bill, the Life at Conception Act, would lend the protections of the 14th Amendment to unborn humans, entitling them to due process and equal protection rights.

Paul's office said the measure "does not amend or interpret the Constitution" but merely relies on its current language. The 14th Amendment was ratified during Reconstruction to protect the citizenship of newly freed slaves. 

"The Life at Conception Act legislatively declares what most Americans believe and what science has long known — that human life begins at the moment of conception, and therefore is entitled to legal protection from that point forward," Paul said in a statement.

He added that upholding this view is Congress's "constitutional duty."

Critics say the proposed framework is unworkable and would violate abortion rights already declared by the courts.

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