--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Abortion is inherently different from…" description: "\"Abortion is inherently different from other medical procedures because no other procedure involves the purposeful termination of a potential life.\" — P..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5b/potter-stewart-22133_abortion_abortion-is-inherently-different-from-ot_2017061.png" --- # Abortion is inherently different from other medical… ![“Abortion is inherently different from other medical procedures because no other procedure involves the purposeful termination of a potential life.” quote by Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5b/potter-stewart-22133_abortion_abortion-is-inherently-different-from-ot_2017061.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5b/potter-stewart-22133_abortion_abortion-is-inherently-different-from-ot_2017061.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5b/potter-stewart-22133_abortion_abortion-is-inherently-different-from-ot_2017061.png) > “Abortion is inherently different from other medical procedures because no other procedure involves the purposeful termination of a potential life.” [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Abortion uniquely ends a potential life, distinguishing it ethically from other medical acts. **In simple terms:** Abortion ends potential life. Key Takeaway Weigh the moral weight of potential life. Themes ethics life medicine Mood serious controversial Type legal ethical When to use this quote - policy debate - medical counseling - legislative drafting - public health education Key Concepts law bioethics philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How should law treat potential life? - What alternatives exist to abortion? A Different Perspective Potential life status is contested and varies culturally. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abortion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abortion/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Medical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medical/) ## Related quotes > [“We're like lightning and thunder, inherently different but alike enough to share the same sky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-ritchie/we-re-like-lightning-and-thunder-inherently-different-but-alike/) [Krista Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-ritchie/) > [Birds have nests that seem to be inherent. I think there must be some kind of extended phenotype for humans. People probably have, inherently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-joachim/birds-have-nests-that-seem-to-be-inherent-i-think-there-must-be-some/) [Mitchell Joachim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-joachim/) > [I have a mantra that people are naturally, fundamentally and inherently mobile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-cooper/i-have-a-mantra-that-people-are-naturally-fundamentally-and/) [Martin Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-cooper/) > [I have played innocent characters that are inherently me, but I have a sensual side, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aditi-rao-hydari/i-have-played-innocent-characters-that-are-inherently-me-but-i-have-a/) [Aditi Rao Hydari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aditi-rao-hydari/) > [You cannot separate sexuality from cheerleading. It is inherently what it is - growing up with the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders and all of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peyton-reed/you-cannot-separate-sexuality-from-cheerleading-it-is-inherently-what/) [Peyton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peyton-reed/) > [Cavorting around fantasy-style environments with a rampaging horde of sycophantic psychos is inherently amusing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhianna-pratchett/cavorting-around-fantasy-style-environments-with-a-rampaging-horde-of/) [Rhianna Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhianna-pratchett/) > [So 'The Last Airbender' 's philosophy and culture feels like a beautiful idea to me: That we inherently have connections to the elements and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-night-shyamalan/so-the-last-airbender-s-philosophy-and-culture-feels-like-a-beautiful/) [M. Night Shyamalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-night-shyamalan/) > [Facebook is inherently viral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/facebook-is-inherently-viral/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [There's something inherently life-denying in television and radio and stuff that's canned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-de-lancie/there-s-something-inherently-life-denying-in-television-and-radio-and/) [John de Lancie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-de-lancie/) > [I think everyone's inherently sad because I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabby-windey/i-think-everyone-s-inherently-sad-because-i-am/) [Gabby Windey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabby-windey/) > [Science is not inherently good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/science-is-not-inherently-good/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [I was just born involved in politics. My family is conservative Mormon, and so I was born - although the Mormon faith is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyrsten-sinema/i-was-just-born-involved-in-politics-my-family-is-conservative-mormon/) [Kyrsten Sinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyrsten-sinema/) > [It's all about being flexible, and avoiding choices whenever possible. Choices suck, they are inherently limiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-armstrong/it-s-all-about-being-flexible-and-avoiding-choices-whenever-possible/) Craig Armstrong > [I've actually always wanted to write like a one-person show that was sort of a romantic comedy - a show that was kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/i-ve-actually-always-wanted-to-write-like-a-one-person-show-that-was/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [Since the State necessarily lives by the compulsory confiscation of private capital, and since its expansion necessarily involves ever-greater incursions on private individuals and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-rothbard/since-the-state-necessarily-lives-by-the-compulsory-confiscation-of/) [Murray Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-rothbard/) ## More by Potter Stewart > [May the state fence in the harmless mentally ill solely to save its citizens from exposure to those whose ways are different? One might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/may-the-state-fence-in-the-harmless-mentally-ill-solely-to-save-its/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [The Court today holds the Congress may say that some of the poor are too poor even to go bankrupt. I cannot agree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/the-court-today-holds-the-congress-may-say-that-some-of-the-poor-are/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [In fact, a fundamental interdependence exists between the personal right to liberty and the personal right to property.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/in-fact-a-fundamental-interdependence-exists-between-the-personal/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [To force a lawyer on a defendant can only lead him to believe that the law contrives against him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/to-force-a-lawyer-on-a-defendant-can-only-lead-him-to-believe-that/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [Fairness is what justice really is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/fairness-is-what-justice-really-is/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [These death sentences are cruel and unusual in the same way that being struck by lightning is cruel and unusual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/these-death-sentences-are-cruel-and-unusual-in-the-same-way-that/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [It must always be remembered that what the Constitution forbids is not all searches and seizures, but unreasonable searches and seizures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/it-must-always-be-remembered-that-what-the-constitution-forbids-is/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [We are concerned here only with the imposition of capital punishment for the crime of murder, and when a life has been taken deliberately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/we-are-concerned-here-only-with-the-imposition-of-capital-punishment/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [The dichotomy between personal liberties and property rights is a false one. Property does not have rights. People have rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/the-dichotomy-between-personal-liberties-and-property-rights-is-a/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [The 4th Amendment and the personal rights it secures have a long history. At the very core stands the right of a man to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/the-4th-amendment-and-the-personal-rights-it-secures-have-a-long/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [“For when everything is classified, then nothing is classified, and the system becomes one to be disregarded by the cynical or the careless, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/for-when-everything-is-classified-then-nothing-is-classified-and-the/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself. It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/censorship-reflects-a-society-s-lack-of-confidence-in-itself-it-is-a/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [ The equal protection standard of the constitution has one clear and central meaning - it absolutely prohibits invidious \[repugnant\] discrimination by government...Under our Constitution,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/the-equal-protection-standard-of-the-constitution-has-one-clear-and/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/ethics-is-knowing-the-difference-between-what-you-have-a-right-to-do/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [We dedicated ourselves to a powerful idea - organic law rather than naked power. There seems to be universal acceptance of that idea in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/we-dedicated-ourselves-to-a-powerful-idea-organic-law-rather-than/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) [Explore all 28 Potter Stewart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) ## More Abortion quotes > [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/) Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974 > [Hey everyone, in case y'all didn't hear, I'm pregnat, and after discussing it w/ my family, I've decided to get an abortion, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-badesheim/hey-everyone-in-case-y-all-didn-t-hear-i-m-pregnat-and-after/) Madison Badesheim > [There was no mistake in us making abortion legal and available on demand. That was what we call progress. 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Many base that claim on China's strict population laws, which allow them to have only one child.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/the-chinese-describe-themselves-as-political-refugees-many-base-that/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [I'm a pro-life candidate because I believe that science is proving us right every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/i-m-a-pro-life-candidate-because-i-believe-that-science-is-proving-us/) [Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/) > [I've noticed that everyone who is for abortion…has been born.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-noticed-that-everyone-who-is-for-abortion-has-been-born/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [We talk a lot about how abortion is a medical procedure, but actually if you look at what the other side is doing, they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-northup/we-talk-a-lot-about-how-abortion-is-a-medical-procedure-but-actually/) [Nancy Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-northup/) > [“The Vatican won't prosecute pedophile priests but I decide I'm not ready for motherhood and it's condemnation for me? These are the same people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-renee-taylor/the-vatican-won-t-prosecute-pedophile-priests-but-i-decide-i-m-not/) Sonya Renee Taylor > [Pro-lifers have long been castigated for bringing private values into the public square. But actually it is the pro-abortion position that is based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/pro-lifers-have-long-been-castigated-for-bringing-private-values-into/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [I am 100 percent pro-life and have been my whole life. That means I am opposed to abortion at any stage of pregnancy, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-hawley/i-am-100-percent-pro-life-and-have-been-my-whole-life-that-means-i-am/) [Josh Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-hawley/) > [Any woman should have the right to a safe and legal abortion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-ford/any-woman-should-have-the-right-to-a-safe-and-legal-abortion/) [Betty Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-ford/) > [“For Republicans, life begins at conception but ends at birth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-adam-snyder/for-republicans-life-begins-at-conception-but-ends-at-birth/) [J.Adam Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-adam-snyder/) > [I think fundamentally, the real power behind the anti-choice movement in regard to abortion and the opposition to the rights of LGBT Americans is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-w-lynn/i-think-fundamentally-the-real-power-behind-the-anti-choice-movement/) [Barry W. Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-w-lynn/) [Browse all 1,629 Abortion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abortion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Abortion is inherently different from other medical procedures because no other procedure involves the purposeful termination of a potential life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Potter Stewart" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/abortion-is-inherently-different-from-other-medical-procedures/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abortion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/abortion-is-inherently-different-from-other-medical-procedures/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5b/potter-stewart-22133_abortion_abortion-is-inherently-different-from-ot_2017061.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5b/potter-stewart-22133_abortion_abortion-is-inherently-different-from-ot_2017061.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5b/potter-stewart-22133_abortion_abortion-is-inherently-different-from-ot_2017061.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Abortion is inherently different from other medical procedures because no other procedure involves the…” — Potter Stewart", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Potter Stewart", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Abortion is inherently different from other...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/abortion-is-inherently-different-from-other-medical-procedures/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/abortion-is-inherently-different-from-other-medical-procedures/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```