Viability is the physical capacity for life independent of maternal corporeal support. They argue that newborns and fetuses participate in the social matrix, and that this social role develops over time, beginning prior to birth. Others note that it is impossible to treat fetuses as persons without treating pregnant women as if they were less than persons. The birth of the fetus results in a distinct patient towards whom medical therapy can be individually directed. As such, many believe that the moral status of a developmentally younger newborn supersedes that of an older viable fetus.
People have rights.
Throughout the world, the legal status of fetuses is generally subordinated to that of pregnant women. In most countries, the legal status of the fetus is bolstered as gestation progresses. Viability signifies a change in its legal status. Still, although the human fetus has the potential for personhood, this does not imply that it is a person or that it has rights. So long as the fetus is attached to the pregnant woman, her body maintains its life, and bars access to it.