An Alabama Supreme Court has ruled that states should abandon a key part of the "Roe v. Wade" decision that legalized abortion.

Justice Tom Parker said he believes all unborn children should be given legal protections.

He wrote about the progress in medical technology that can help unborn children survive outside the womb.

"The development of ultrasound technology has enhanced medical and public understanding, allowing us to watch the growth and development of the unborn child in a way previous generations could never have imagined," he wrote.

"Similarly, advances in genetics and related fields make clear that a new and unique human being is formed at the moment of conception, when two cells, incapable of independent life, merge to form a single, individual human entity," he added.

He pointed out that since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, many states and courts have recognized that the unborn have rights in wills, estates, and other areas of the law.