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Abortion rights forces fight bill to make harming fetus a crimeFrom CNN Correspondent Jeanne Meserve
September 29, 1999 WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, September 29) -- Members of the Christian Coalition will blanket Capitol Hill on Thursday to push for passage of a bill that would make it a federal offense to harm a fetus during commission of a federal crime. 
While the measure, called the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, specifically exempts abortion, advocates of abortion rights say the bill -- similar to laws on the books in 24 states -- is a backhanded attempt to overturn Roe vs. Wade, the court case that legalized abortion. "It is a pure sham," says Kate Michelman of the National Abortion Rights Action League. "It is sponsored and promoted by those who want to take away a woman's right to choose." But a supporter of the measure, Rep. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) insists the bill "doesn't erode a woman's right to choose." Graham says, "It puts limits on criminals' rights to destroy unborn children without the permission of the woman."
Could have been used against McVeigh, NicholsHad the law been on the books in April 1995, it might have been applied in the Oklahoma City bombing case. One of the victims, Carrie Lenz, was pregnant with her first child when she died in that blast. The two men accused of conspiring to plant the bomb -- Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols -- were charged with a host of federal crimes, but not with killing Lenz's unborn child. "If someone through violence kills a fetus, I think they ought to be able to prosecute," said Michael Lenz, Carrie Lenz's husband.
Several state laws on the booksAt least 24 states already provide some degree of fetal protection with regard to state crimes. In Arkansas, for example, the law was used to prosecute a man accused of hiring three men to beat up his pregnant girlfriend. The fetus died, and the men were charged with capital murder. But abortion rights supporters say the bill would give an unborn child, even at the earliest stages of pregnancy, legal rights. And that, they believe, could be used to undermine Roe vs. Wade. Supporters expect the bill to pass the House and possibly the Senate. But they concede there is not enough support to override an expected veto of the measure by President Bill Clinton, an abortion rights supporter. |
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MORE STORIES:Wednesday, September 29, 1999
• Gore challenges Bradley to debates; moves campaign HQ to Tennessee • GOP chief urges Buchanan to stay in party fold • Bauer lashes out at 'vicious' adultery rumor • Budget disputes stall amid partisan sniping • Citizen's guide to the budget impasse • Senate probe of Justice Dept. to focus on Chinese espionage • D.C. is nation's most Internet-accessible city • Celebrity testimony helps catch Congress' ear • Investigator of first lady among candidates to succeed Starr • White House brokers domain name agreement • Labor Department sues pension fund over deals with Clinton fund-raiser • Will Warren Beatty run for president? • Gore discusses school violence • Dean agrees to settle federal Watergate suit • Complaint about assignments handled by Republican judge • Heterosexual mayoral candidate rejected for same-sex marriage license • Congressman demands data on Clinton-Riady encounter • Papers show Clinton contempt debt paid • White House proposes meeting with senators on Medicare | |||||||||
