--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A woman who deliberately destroys a fetus…" description: "\"A woman who deliberately destroys a fetus is answerable for murder. And any fine distinction as to its being completely formed or unformed is not admis..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/635/saint-basil-4281_abortion_a-woman-who-deliberately-destroys-a-fetu_199958.png" --- # A woman who deliberately destroys a fetus is answerable… ![“A woman who deliberately destroys a fetus is answerable for murder. And any fine distinction as to its being completely formed or unformed is not admissible amongst us.” quote by Saint Basil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/635/saint-basil-4281_abortion_a-woman-who-deliberately-destroys-a-fetu_199958.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/635/saint-basil-4281_abortion_a-woman-who-deliberately-destroys-a-fetu_199958.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/635/saint-basil-4281_abortion_a-woman-who-deliberately-destroys-a-fetu_199958.png) > “A woman who deliberately destroys a fetus is answerable for murder. And any fine distinction as to its being completely formed or unformed is not admissible amongst us.” [Saint Basil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-basil/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The act of aborting a fetus is morally equivalent to murder, regardless of developmental stage. **In simple terms:** Abortion is murder. Key Takeaway Treat all life as equally valuable. Themes ethics life morality Mood serious controversial Type ethical political When to use this quote - medical ethics - legislation - personal belief - public policy Key Concepts pro-life human rights Questions to Reflect On - Is moral responsibility the same for all stages of development? - How do societies balance individual rights with fetal rights? A Different Perspective Legal definitions of personhood vary across cultures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abortion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abortion/) [Distinction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinction/) [Murder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murder/) ## Related quotes > [ She who has intentionally destroyed \[the fetus\] is subject to the penalty corresponding to a homicide. For us, there is no scrutinizing between the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-basil/she-who-has-intentionally-destroyed-the-fetus-is-subject-to-the/) [Saint Basil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-basil/) > [Everyone knows now how early a fetus becomes a baby. Women who have been pregnant have seen their babies on ultrasounds. They know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayelet-waldman/everyone-knows-now-how-early-a-fetus-becomes-a-baby-women-who-have/) [Ayelet Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayelet-waldman/) > [The fetus, in many cases, dies just as a human adult or child would: It bleeds to death as it is torn from limb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-kennedy/the-fetus-in-many-cases-dies-just-as-a-human-adult-or-child-would-it/) [Anthony Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-kennedy/) > [What it gives any human being a right to - to pick and choose which embryo - which fetus is more valuable than another.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadya-suleman/what-it-gives-any-human-being-a-right-to-to-pick-and-choose-which/) [Nadya Suleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadya-suleman/) > [There's a difference between early and late abortions. If you have a late abortion, where the fetus might feel pain, then I think you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/there-s-a-difference-between-early-and-late-abortions-if-you-have-a/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [I think we have deluded ourselves into believing that people don't know that abortion is killing. So any pretense that abortion is not killing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faye-wattleton/i-think-we-have-deluded-ourselves-into-believing-that-people-don-t/) [Faye Wattleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faye-wattleton/) > [The use of fetuses as organ and tissue donors is a ticking time bomb of bioethics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-caplan/the-use-of-fetuses-as-organ-and-tissue-donors-is-a-ticking-time-bomb/) [Arthur Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-caplan/) > [“No, I'm the human here. I'm the life at stake. I'm the one with fingernails, who feels pain. Me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicen-grey/no-i-m-the-human-here-i-m-the-life-at-stake-i-m-the-one-with/) [Alicen Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicen-grey/) > [With respect to those meanings of 'human' that are relevant to the morality of abortion, any fetus is less human than an adult pig,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/with-respect-to-those-meanings-of-human-that-are-relevant-to-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Americans of faith should try as hard to save the lives of African women as the lives of unborn fetuses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-d-kristof/americans-of-faith-should-try-as-hard-to-save-the-lives-of-african/) [Nicholas D. Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-d-kristof/) > [“It's kinda cool to think about you as a real person, instead of some fetus ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-frank/it-s-kinda-cool-to-think-about-you-as-a-real-person-instead-of-some/) [Hillary Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-frank/) > [Before a baby is born, you have a baby shower, not a fetus shower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-hunt/before-a-baby-is-born-you-have-a-baby-shower-not-a-fetus-shower/) [June Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-hunt/) > [Scientifically, there's no debate over whether the fetus is alive and human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/scientifically-there-s-no-debate-over-whether-the-fetus-is-alive-and/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [ \[Margot Hentoff\] thinks - first of all, she - this I hear from a lot of people beside her. She thinks that men have… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/margot-hentoff-thinks-first-of-all-she-this-i-hear-from-a-lot-of/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [A pregnant woman and her spouse dream of three babies--the perfect four-month-old who rewards them with smiles and musical cooing,the impaired baby, who changes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-berry-brazelton/a-pregnant-woman-and-her-spouse-dream-of-three-babies-the-perfect/) [T. Berry Brazelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-berry-brazelton/) ## More by Saint Basil > [Truly unexpected tidings make both ears tingle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-basil/truly-unexpected-tidings-make-both-ears-tingle/) [Saint Basil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-basil/) > [Just as we would have no need of the farmer's labor and toil if we were living amid the delights of paradise, so also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-basil/just-as-we-would-have-no-need-of-the-farmer-s-labor-and-toil-if-we/) [Saint Basil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-basil/) > [Men whose sense of taste is destroyed by sickness, sometimes think honey sour. A diseased eye does not see many things which do exist,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-basil/men-whose-sense-of-taste-is-destroyed-by-sickness-sometimes-think/) [Saint Basil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-basil/) > [Good masters teach good doctrine, but that taught by evil masters is wholly evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-basil/good-masters-teach-good-doctrine-but-that-taught-by-evil-masters-is/) [Saint Basil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-basil/) > [They who sow courtesy reap friendship, and they who plant kindness gather love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-basil/they-who-sow-courtesy-reap-friendship-and-they-who-plant-kindness/) [Saint Basil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-basil/) > [It is impious to say that evil has its origin from God, because naught contrary is produced by the contrary. Life does not generate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-basil/it-is-impious-to-say-that-evil-has-its-origin-from-god-because-naught/) [Saint Basil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-basil/) > [Do not measure your loss by itself; if you do, it will seem intolerable; but if you will take all human affairs into account…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-basil/do-not-measure-your-loss-by-itself-if-you-do-it-will-seem-intolerable/) [Saint Basil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-basil/) > [A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-basil/a-tree-is-known-by-its-fruit-a-man-by-his-deeds-a-good-deed-is-never/) [Saint Basil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-basil/) > [\[Every disappointment or misfortune can become a blessing in disguise, for which we should be grateful. But only if the hidden blessing is anticipated,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-basil/every-disappointment-or-misfortune-can-become-a-blessing-in-disguise/) [Saint Basil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-basil/) > [We should not accept in silence the benefactions of God, but return thanks for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-basil/we-should-not-accept-in-silence-the-benefactions-of-god-but-return/) [Saint Basil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-basil/) > [Any one who chooses will set up for a literary critic, though he cannot tell us where he went to school, or how much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-basil/any-one-who-chooses-will-set-up-for-a-literary-critic-though-he/) [Saint Basil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-basil/) > [The sun penetrates crystal and makes it more dazzling. In the same way, the sanctifying Spirit indwells in souls and makes them more radiant.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-basil/the-sun-penetrates-crystal-and-makes-it-more-dazzling-in-the-same-way/) [Saint Basil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-basil/) > [If everyone would take only according to his needs and would leave the surplus to the needy, no one would be rich, no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-basil/if-everyone-would-take-only-according-to-his-needs-and-would-leave/) [Saint Basil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-basil/) > [We need not only read Sacred Scripture, but learn it as well and grow up in it. Realize that nothing is written in Scripture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-basil/we-need-not-only-read-sacred-scripture-but-learn-it-as-well-and-grow/) [Saint Basil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-basil/) > [Do not despise the fish because they are absolutely unable to speak or to reason, but fear lest you may be even more unreasonable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-basil/do-not-despise-the-fish-because-they-are-absolutely-unable-to-speak/) [Saint Basil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-basil/) [Explore all 113 Saint Basil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-basil/) ## 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. Just like it was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/there-was-no-mistake-in-us-making-abortion-legal-and-available-on/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [My favorite Founding Fathers, Christians like John Adams, were absolutely appalled by slavery, and did not own slaves. I think we're going to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/my-favorite-founding-fathers-christians-like-john-adams-were/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [“David Bereit, Founder of Forty Days for Life, points out that any abortion clinic in America should have a sign in its window that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-price/david-bereit-founder-of-forty-days-for-life-points-out-that-any/) [John Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-price/) > [The Chinese describe themselves as political refugees. 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": "A woman who deliberately destroys a fetus is answerable for murder. 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