Department of History Master of Arts The moment life began was
defined at the beginning of the nineteenth century by the
mother's awareness of fetal movement. That moment was called
quickening. The common law of England and of the early United
States embraced quickening. Prior to quickening abortion was
legally and socially benign. Abortion was a non-issue, for life
was not considered to exist before the fetus was quick — which
usually occurs in the fourth or fifth month of gestation. At the
early stages of fetal development there was no difference
between terminating pregnancy and simply restoring menses. By
the end of the nineteenth century, the quickening doctrine was
no longer the key to abortion law. The doctrine was dismantled
for a variety of reasons. The American Medical Association (AMA)
played a major role in the movement to redefine the moment of
animation and restrict abortions. The physicians' motivation was
not concern for the fetus. The physicians gained status and
power from the restriction of