Many cultures don't assign personhood until birth.  Some don't assign it until well after birth (naming a child after several days, for instance).  At least one culture doesn't give personhood to a child until it can speak clearly and properly.  The only cultures that base personhood upon conception are those influenced by or based upon fundamentalist "Christianity" or the Roman Catholic church (although I admit that there may be others).

Some Native American tribes assign personhood upon the knowledge of pregnancy (rather similar to the quickening concept).  In those tribes, often the women not only held the votes of her husband and children, but that of the unborn child as well.  This is the closest cultural concept I know of similar to the fundamentalist thinking (and funny, but they DO like to persecute us and deny OUR personhood!!!)

I've heard this before (the Biblical concept)- that up until a certain point, a fetus was considered as water.  The point of "quickening" would make sense based upon what I've read.

by ArchaeoBob on Fri May 16, 2008 at 10:43:52 AM EST

http://www.religioustolerance.org/abo_biblh.htm

by Browsercat on Thu May 29, 2008 at 10:27:20 PM EST