Begging The Question

What does Begging The Question mean in American Law?

The definition of Begging The Question in the law of the United States, as defined by the lexicographer Arthur Leff in his legal dictionary is:

A form of a fallacious argument in which the conclusion to be proved is embedded in one of the premises. Also called “petitio principii” and (of one variety) “circular reasoning.” An example might be “One may do whatever one desires with respect to one”s own body; hence, it is not wrong to abort a fetus,” where it is assumed that a fetus is nothing else but part of the aborter”s body. See also logical fallacies and entries beginning argumentum, for similarly fallacious arguments. The term is often used imprecisely as a characterization of almost any logical fallacy.