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Prenatal Torts: Reproductive Rights With Teeth, Andrew H. Jones

Andrew H Jones

The purpose of tort law is to restore the plaintiff to the position he or she would have occupied had the complained of injury not occurred. To this end, the measure of damages is the amount which will compensate for all detriment proximately caused. But, when the causal link between the wrong and injury is abortion, and the harm relates to the existence of a human life, the issue of recovery becomes complicated. The difficulty of the issue is aggravated by the existence of conflicting principles, such as protecting a constitutionally recognized right to refrain from procreation, and maintaining the …