ʻNuances’ of Legal Capacity
Towards a broader understanding of the concept of civil legal personality?
Keywords:
beginning of legal capacity, abortion, legal status of the fetus, embryo outside the womb, in vitro fertilization
Abstract
The study aims to present recent phenomena related to the onset of legal capacity in the areas of abortion and in vitro fertilization. These issues have primarily emerged in the United States' legislation and jurisprudence in recent years, and have brought the ʻpro life' and ʻpro choice' debates back to the surface. In the 2022 Dobbs case, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned long-standing precedents in the field of abortion, leading to fundamental changes at the state level. As a result, significant questions have also arisen regarding the legal status of in vitro embryos in cases of artificial fertilization outside the mother’s body.
While legal regulation and jurisprudence typically treat these two issues separately, the study highlights that the legal environment lacks coherence when the legal status of the embryo and the beginning of legal personhood depend on whether the embryo is physically located inside or outside the mother’s womb. Both legal regulations and jurisprudence show a tendency that emphasize the personhood of the fetus or embryo, extending civil legal personhood to them in some form. Although there is no uniform position, pro-life viewpoints are increasingly articulated in law.
References
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Brown, Barry: Reconciling Property Law with Advances in Reproductive Science. Stanford Law & Policy Review, Vol. 6. No. 2. (1995)
Cahn, Naomi R.: Test Tube Families: Why the Fertility Market Needs Legal Regulation. New York, NYU Press, 2009.
Carbone, June – Cahn, Naomi: Embryo Fundamentalism. William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal, Vol. 18., No. 4. (2010)
Csehi, Zoltán – Navratyil, Zoltán: A személyek joga a 2013. évi V. törvény alapján: Az új Polgári Törvénykönyv szövegének rövid magyarázata. Budapest, Menedzser Praxis, 2013.
Dalí, Salvador: Egy zseni naplója. Budapest, Helikon, 2019.
Dinan, John: The Constitutional Politics of Abortion Policy after Dobbs: State Courts, Constitutions, and Lawmaking. Montana Law Review, Vol. 84., No. 1. (2023)
Dingler, Mary Joy: Family Law’s Coldest War: The Battle for Frozen Embryos and the Need for a Statutory White Flag. Seattle University Law Review, Vol. 43. (2019)
Erwin, Consuelo G.: Embryonic Stem Cell Research: One Small Step for Science or One Giant Leap Back for Mankind? University of Illinois Law Review, No. 1. (2003)
Feinberg, Eva C. et al.: An Egg is Not a Chicken and an Embryo is not a Child. Fertility and Sterility, Vol. 121., No. 5. (2024) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2024.03.013
Feinberg, Rebecca: Transcript: The Future of IVF Post Dobbs. Journal of Law and Health, Vol. 37., No. 1. (2023)
Frazier, Tracy J.: Of Property and Procreation: Oregon’s Place in the National Debate over Frozen Embryo Disputes. Oregon Law Review, Vol. 88., No. 3. (2009)
Friedelbaum, Stanley H.: Reassessing Family Relations Law: Issues and Inquiries in the States Courts. Albany Law Review, Vol. 68., No. 2. (2005)
Frivaldszky, János: Az ember jogalanyiságának, életéhez és méltóságához való joga a kortárs katolikus természetjogi alapú jogfilozófiai megközelítésben. Acta Humana, 2020/4. https://doi.org/10.32566/ah.2020.4.2
Furlow, Bryant: Alabama Supreme Court’s “Extrauterine Children” Decision Alarms Oncologists and Fertility Experts. The Lancet, Vol. 25., No. 4. (2024) https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(24)00139-6
Ginod, Perrine – Dahan, Michael H.: Embryos as Unborn Children: the Alabama Supreme Court's Ruling and its Possible Impact for Legal Rulings in Other States. Fertility & Sterility Reports, Vol. 5., No. 2. (2024) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xfre.2024.03.006
Grant, Edward. R.: The Short-lived Verdict in Le Page v Center for Reproductive Medicine: Why ‘Personhood’ Matters in the Regulation of Assisted Reproductive Technologies. Medical Law Review, Vol. 32., No. 3. (2023) https://doi.org/10.1093/medlaw/fwae020
Hámori, Antal: Javaslat a még meg nem született emberi lény életének fokozottabb védelme érdekében. Jogelméleti Szemle, 2022/1. https://doi.org/10.59558/jesz.2022.1.36
Hermer, Laura: Intentional Parenthood, Contingent Fetal Personhood, and the Right to Reproductive Self-Determination. University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform, Vol. 57., No. 2. (2024) https://doi.org/10.36646/mjlr.57.2.intentional
Interactive Map: US Abortion Policies and Access After Roe. https://states.guttmacher.org/policies/
Jobbágyi, Gábor: Az élet joga. Budapest, Szent István Társulat, 2004.
Jordan, Monika: The Post-Dobbs World: How the Implementation of FetalPersonhood Laws Will Affect In Vitro Fertilization. UIC Law Review, Vol. 57., No. 2. (2024)
Leffell, Deborah J.: How ART Exceptionalism Exposes the Pretense of Fetal Personhood. New York University Law Review, Vol. 99., No. 1. (2024)
Lesham, Ela A.: Dead Bodies as Quasi-Persons. Vanderbilt Law Review, Vol. 77., No. 4. (2024)
Letterie, Gerard – Fox, Dov: Legal personhood and frozen embryos: implications for fertility patients and providers in post-Roe America. Journal of Law and the Biosciences, Vol. 10., No. 1. (2023) https://doi.org/10.1093/jlb/lsad006
Linton, Paul Benjamin: In Vitro Fertilization, State Wrongful Death Statutes and State Fetal Homicide Statutes: The Reaction to LePage v. Center for Reproductive Medicine. Issues in Law & Medicine, Vol. 39., No. 1. (2024)
Macintosh, Kerry Lynn: Dobbs, Abortion Laws, and In Vitro Fertilization. Journal of Health Care Law and Policy, Vol. 26., No. 1. (2023)
Merrick, Janna C. – Blank, Robert H.: Reproductive Issues in America: a Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara, ABC–CLIO, 2003. https://doi.org/10.5040/9798216984825
Molnár, Sarolta: US Constitution and the Notion of Family. The Risks of the Supreme Court’s Judicial Activism through Family and Privacy Cases. Pázmány Law Review, Vol. 11. (2024) https://doi.org/10.55019/plr.2024.1.81-99
Murray, Sara: The Frozen Ones: Disputes, Divorces, and Dispositions. Florida Law Review, Vol. 75., No. 3 (2023)
Rebouche, Rachel – Ziegler, Mary: Fracture: Abortion Law and Politics after Dobbs. SMU Law Review, Vol. 76., No. 1 (2023) https://doi.org/10.25172/smulr.76.1.8
Robertson, John A.: Children of Choice: Freedom and the New Reproductive Technologies. Princeton, Princeton University Press, 1996.
Rosen, Aliza: Important Abortion Cases in a Holding Pattern Following SCOTUS Decisions. (Published: July 03, 2024) https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/scotus–mifepristone–and–emtala–decisions–explained
Sazdovska, Ivana: The Moral Status of the Fetus and the Concept of Personhood. International Journal of Sciences: Basic and Applied Research, Vol. 57., No. 1. (2021)
Sciorio, Romualdo – Esteves, Sandro C.: Contemporary Use of ICSI and Epigenetic Risks to Future Generations. Journal of Clinical Medicine, Vol. 11., No. 8. (2022) https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11082135
Silver, Lee M. – Silver, Susan Remis: Confused Heritage and the Absurdity of Genetic Ownership. Harvard Journal of Law and Technology, Vol. 11., No. 3. (1998)
Soohoo, Cynthia: An Embryo is not a Person: Rejecting Prenatal Personhood for a More Complex View of Prenatal Life. ConLawNOW, Vol. 14. (2023)
Strathman, Lyle R.: Personhood Refutes Legalized Abortion. The Human Life Review, Vol. 50., No. 1. (2024)
Suter, Sonia – Cahn, Naomi: Lawmakers Rushed to Protect IVF in Alabama – Why wasn’t Abortion Afforded the Same Urgency? The British Medical Journal, 08 March 2024. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.q581
The Law Dictionary – Featuring Black’s Law Dictionary Free Online Law Dictionary 2nd ed. http://thelawdictionary.org/juridical–person/
Vicsek, Lilla – Sándor, Judit – Bauer, Zsófia: The Human Embryo: Mapping Patients’ Ethical Decisions in Hungary. Intersections. East European Journal of Society and Politics, Vol. 7. No. 2. (2021) https://doi.org/10.17356/ieejsp.v7i2.780
Vörös, Judit: Az emberi embrió szabályozásának kérdéseiről. De Iurisprudentia et Iure Publico, 2012/4.
Vrtacnik, Urban: (Legal) Status of Embryo in Biomedically Assisted Procreation. In: Clark, Peter– Dogan, Kamil Hakan (szerk.): Contemporary Issues in Clinical Bioethics – Medical, Ethical and Legal Perspectives. IntechOpen, 2024. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.1002201
Wade, Allyson: Using Contract Law to Resolve Frozen Pre-Embryo Disputes. Maryland Law Review, Vol. 81., No. 3. (2022)
Waters, Emma: Taming IVF's Wild West. The New Atlantis, Vol. 76. (Spring 2024)
Baker, Jennifer: The War of Words: How Fundamentalist Rhetoric Threatens Reproductive Autonomy. University of San Francisco Law Review, Vol. 43., No. 3. (2009)
Bayefsky, Michelle J.: Protecting Access to Infertility Treatment in a Post‑Dobbs United States. Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, Vol. 41., No. 7. (2024) https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-024-03158-x
Beckmann, Rainer: OLG Rostock: Herausgabe von imprägnierten Eizellen nach dem Tode des Mannes. Zeitschrift für Lebensrecht, 2010/2.
Belova, Gabriela: Some Remarks on the Legal Status of Human Embryo. Kutafin Law Review, Vol. 6., No. 1. (2019) https://doi.org/10.17803/2313-5395-2019-1-11-002-012
Bernat, Erwin: Reproduktionsmedizin. (Aktuelle Rechtsprechung in Leitsätzen.) Recht der Medizin, 2010/4.
Brown, Barry: Reconciling Property Law with Advances in Reproductive Science. Stanford Law & Policy Review, Vol. 6. No. 2. (1995)
Cahn, Naomi R.: Test Tube Families: Why the Fertility Market Needs Legal Regulation. New York, NYU Press, 2009.
Carbone, June – Cahn, Naomi: Embryo Fundamentalism. William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal, Vol. 18., No. 4. (2010)
Csehi, Zoltán – Navratyil, Zoltán: A személyek joga a 2013. évi V. törvény alapján: Az új Polgári Törvénykönyv szövegének rövid magyarázata. Budapest, Menedzser Praxis, 2013.
Dalí, Salvador: Egy zseni naplója. Budapest, Helikon, 2019.
Dinan, John: The Constitutional Politics of Abortion Policy after Dobbs: State Courts, Constitutions, and Lawmaking. Montana Law Review, Vol. 84., No. 1. (2023)
Dingler, Mary Joy: Family Law’s Coldest War: The Battle for Frozen Embryos and the Need for a Statutory White Flag. Seattle University Law Review, Vol. 43. (2019)
Erwin, Consuelo G.: Embryonic Stem Cell Research: One Small Step for Science or One Giant Leap Back for Mankind? University of Illinois Law Review, No. 1. (2003)
Feinberg, Eva C. et al.: An Egg is Not a Chicken and an Embryo is not a Child. Fertility and Sterility, Vol. 121., No. 5. (2024) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2024.03.013
Feinberg, Rebecca: Transcript: The Future of IVF Post Dobbs. Journal of Law and Health, Vol. 37., No. 1. (2023)
Frazier, Tracy J.: Of Property and Procreation: Oregon’s Place in the National Debate over Frozen Embryo Disputes. Oregon Law Review, Vol. 88., No. 3. (2009)
Friedelbaum, Stanley H.: Reassessing Family Relations Law: Issues and Inquiries in the States Courts. Albany Law Review, Vol. 68., No. 2. (2005)
Frivaldszky, János: Az ember jogalanyiságának, életéhez és méltóságához való joga a kortárs katolikus természetjogi alapú jogfilozófiai megközelítésben. Acta Humana, 2020/4. https://doi.org/10.32566/ah.2020.4.2
Furlow, Bryant: Alabama Supreme Court’s “Extrauterine Children” Decision Alarms Oncologists and Fertility Experts. The Lancet, Vol. 25., No. 4. (2024) https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(24)00139-6
Ginod, Perrine – Dahan, Michael H.: Embryos as Unborn Children: the Alabama Supreme Court's Ruling and its Possible Impact for Legal Rulings in Other States. Fertility & Sterility Reports, Vol. 5., No. 2. (2024) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xfre.2024.03.006
Grant, Edward. R.: The Short-lived Verdict in Le Page v Center for Reproductive Medicine: Why ‘Personhood’ Matters in the Regulation of Assisted Reproductive Technologies. Medical Law Review, Vol. 32., No. 3. (2023) https://doi.org/10.1093/medlaw/fwae020
Hámori, Antal: Javaslat a még meg nem született emberi lény életének fokozottabb védelme érdekében. Jogelméleti Szemle, 2022/1. https://doi.org/10.59558/jesz.2022.1.36
Hermer, Laura: Intentional Parenthood, Contingent Fetal Personhood, and the Right to Reproductive Self-Determination. University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform, Vol. 57., No. 2. (2024) https://doi.org/10.36646/mjlr.57.2.intentional
Interactive Map: US Abortion Policies and Access After Roe. https://states.guttmacher.org/policies/
Jobbágyi, Gábor: Az élet joga. Budapest, Szent István Társulat, 2004.
Jordan, Monika: The Post-Dobbs World: How the Implementation of FetalPersonhood Laws Will Affect In Vitro Fertilization. UIC Law Review, Vol. 57., No. 2. (2024)
Leffell, Deborah J.: How ART Exceptionalism Exposes the Pretense of Fetal Personhood. New York University Law Review, Vol. 99., No. 1. (2024)
Lesham, Ela A.: Dead Bodies as Quasi-Persons. Vanderbilt Law Review, Vol. 77., No. 4. (2024)
Letterie, Gerard – Fox, Dov: Legal personhood and frozen embryos: implications for fertility patients and providers in post-Roe America. Journal of Law and the Biosciences, Vol. 10., No. 1. (2023) https://doi.org/10.1093/jlb/lsad006
Linton, Paul Benjamin: In Vitro Fertilization, State Wrongful Death Statutes and State Fetal Homicide Statutes: The Reaction to LePage v. Center for Reproductive Medicine. Issues in Law & Medicine, Vol. 39., No. 1. (2024)
Macintosh, Kerry Lynn: Dobbs, Abortion Laws, and In Vitro Fertilization. Journal of Health Care Law and Policy, Vol. 26., No. 1. (2023)
Merrick, Janna C. – Blank, Robert H.: Reproductive Issues in America: a Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara, ABC–CLIO, 2003. https://doi.org/10.5040/9798216984825
Molnár, Sarolta: US Constitution and the Notion of Family. The Risks of the Supreme Court’s Judicial Activism through Family and Privacy Cases. Pázmány Law Review, Vol. 11. (2024) https://doi.org/10.55019/plr.2024.1.81-99
Murray, Sara: The Frozen Ones: Disputes, Divorces, and Dispositions. Florida Law Review, Vol. 75., No. 3 (2023)
Rebouche, Rachel – Ziegler, Mary: Fracture: Abortion Law and Politics after Dobbs. SMU Law Review, Vol. 76., No. 1 (2023) https://doi.org/10.25172/smulr.76.1.8
Robertson, John A.: Children of Choice: Freedom and the New Reproductive Technologies. Princeton, Princeton University Press, 1996.
Rosen, Aliza: Important Abortion Cases in a Holding Pattern Following SCOTUS Decisions. (Published: July 03, 2024) https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/scotus–mifepristone–and–emtala–decisions–explained
Sazdovska, Ivana: The Moral Status of the Fetus and the Concept of Personhood. International Journal of Sciences: Basic and Applied Research, Vol. 57., No. 1. (2021)
Sciorio, Romualdo – Esteves, Sandro C.: Contemporary Use of ICSI and Epigenetic Risks to Future Generations. Journal of Clinical Medicine, Vol. 11., No. 8. (2022) https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11082135
Silver, Lee M. – Silver, Susan Remis: Confused Heritage and the Absurdity of Genetic Ownership. Harvard Journal of Law and Technology, Vol. 11., No. 3. (1998)
Soohoo, Cynthia: An Embryo is not a Person: Rejecting Prenatal Personhood for a More Complex View of Prenatal Life. ConLawNOW, Vol. 14. (2023)
Strathman, Lyle R.: Personhood Refutes Legalized Abortion. The Human Life Review, Vol. 50., No. 1. (2024)
Suter, Sonia – Cahn, Naomi: Lawmakers Rushed to Protect IVF in Alabama – Why wasn’t Abortion Afforded the Same Urgency? The British Medical Journal, 08 March 2024. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.q581
The Law Dictionary – Featuring Black’s Law Dictionary Free Online Law Dictionary 2nd ed. http://thelawdictionary.org/juridical–person/
Vicsek, Lilla – Sándor, Judit – Bauer, Zsófia: The Human Embryo: Mapping Patients’ Ethical Decisions in Hungary. Intersections. East European Journal of Society and Politics, Vol. 7. No. 2. (2021) https://doi.org/10.17356/ieejsp.v7i2.780
Vörös, Judit: Az emberi embrió szabályozásának kérdéseiről. De Iurisprudentia et Iure Publico, 2012/4.
Vrtacnik, Urban: (Legal) Status of Embryo in Biomedically Assisted Procreation. In: Clark, Peter– Dogan, Kamil Hakan (szerk.): Contemporary Issues in Clinical Bioethics – Medical, Ethical and Legal Perspectives. IntechOpen, 2024. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.1002201
Wade, Allyson: Using Contract Law to Resolve Frozen Pre-Embryo Disputes. Maryland Law Review, Vol. 81., No. 3. (2022)
Waters, Emma: Taming IVF's Wild West. The New Atlantis, Vol. 76. (Spring 2024)
Published
2025-04-04
Section
Acta
Copyright (c) 2025 Zoltán Navratyil
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
