Hannibal wrote:
Reasonable doubt is 51% sure. Beyond a shadow of a doubt is 99.9% (i believe). Reasonable doubt isnt what would be used.
Just an aside, I know, but figured I'd chime in on this point.
Beyond a shadow of a doubt isn't actually a legal standard. In the US, there are basically three standards of proof for final rulings/verdicts (and various others for interim decisions): (i) preponderance of the evidence; (ii) clear and convincing evidence; and (iii) beyond a reasonable doubt. The lowest standard is preponderance, which applies in most civil suits and means "more likely than not" (i.e., 51% sure). The highest standard is reasonable doubt, which applies to all criminal convictions and means no issue remains that would cause a reasonable person to doubt the conclusion. Clear and convincing is an intermediate standard that applies in some civil suits, some administrative law matters, and some criminal matters other than actual conviction and means "significantly more likely than not." For the reasonable doubt and clear and convincing standards, there's no way to really quantify them like you can with preponderance.
If abortion were made illegal, this is how I imagine these standards would come into play: (i) family members might sue the woman or the doctor in civil court for wrongful death or something like that, in which case preponderance would probably be the standard; (ii) the state licensing board might sanction the doctor or take his license, in which case, clear and convincing would probably be the standard (though it might be reasonable doubt); and (iii) the state or the feds might charge the woman or the doctor with a crime, in which case, reasonable doubt would definitely be the standard.