WASHINGTON, Mar 22 (Reuters Health) - A subcommittee of the US House of Representatives Wednesday gave voice vote approval to a bill that would make it a federal crime to injure or kill an unborn fetus "at any stage of development."
Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, said the "Unborn Victims of Violence Act" would "help close an unfortunate gap in the law" in which crimes against pregnant women that kill or injure their unborn children "have no legal consequence."
Chabot cited cases in which men committed violent crimes against pregnant women, resulting in the deaths of the fetuses, but were not held accountable for those deaths.
The bill would make it a federal crime to injure or kill a fetus during the commission of an already-defined federal violent crime. Said the National Right to Life Committee, which supports the bill, "the bill would recognize that when a criminal attacks a pregnant woman, and injures or kills her unborn child, he has claimed two victims."
But Democrats on the subcommittee, all of whom voted against the bill, said it is not only unnecessary, but likely unconstitutional. "This bill serves no purpose other than to engage in a debate about when life begins," said Bobby Scott (D-Va).
Agreed subcommittee ranking member Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), "the intent of this bill is simply to define the fetus or the embryo as a separate person" for the purpose of overturning Roe v. Wade.
Even though the measure explicitly excludes abortion providers and actions taken by the pregnant women herself, groups opposing the measure say it sets a dangerous precedent. The American Civil Liberties Union said in a statement that it opposes the bill "because it attempts to endow the fetus with legal rights distinct from the woman who has been injured by a violent act. It would thus dramatically alter the existing legal framework by elevating the fetus to an unprecedented status in federal law, undermining the foundations of the right to choose abortion."
Lindsay Graham, R-Ga., the bill's sponsor, disagreed. "This is not about abortion rights or Roe v. Wade," he said. "This is about acts of violence against pregnant women."
But Democrats said if Republicans really want to curb domestic violence, they could impose stronger penalties on those who commit violent acts against pregnant women.
The full Judiciary Committee is expected to debate the bill next Wednesday. |
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