CMU Student Senate clarifies fetal personhood policy
The Fence is a proud tradition in CMU's history, with a short and simple set of rules. One such rule is that so long as two people are "holding" the fence by staying within its encircling gravel pit, no others may lay claim to it. This simplicity falls apart, however, when we consider complex edge cases in the definition of a human life. Perhaps the most fraught of these is the point at which a fetus can be counted as a person. CMU's Student Senate, which governs the Fence, recently issued a policy clarifying this matter. It simply reads, "a fetus counts as a 'person' for the purposes of defending the Fence only if the fetus may plausibly survive independently outside the womb, which may be estimated at 24 weeks from conception." [Article II.D.6.a.ii] This policy was roundly praised for its vision and specificity. "I appreciate that we now have a firm answer," one student stated. "I think all sides in this debate are now pleased." While no instance is known where the personhood status of a fetus was the deciding factor in a dispute over control of the Fence, the Senate's foresight in providing guidance on the issue is laudable. We can only hope that similarly prescient legislation may be adopted governing this author's intent to carry out illegal abortions within the gravel pit, using only technology which was available in 1923.