for the pro-choice (abortion) people?

Question

do you think that if a pregnant woman loses her fetus/embroyo due to a criminal act (assult,mugging, ect) that the criminal should face extra penalties?

I'm pro-choice and don't think human life begins until the association areas of the brain are developed, but if I get pregnant and want my fetus to grow and be born than why does someone get away with causing me to miscarry?

I've known people who got into physical fights and the person intentionally went for their abdomon because they were pregnant. I think those people should be charged with an illegal abortion.

Maybe we could have a 'pregnant penalty', if you attack a pregnant woman you get an extra charge.

any thoughts?

I'm not saying abortion is illegal, but performing them when you're not a doctor or performing them after the brain is fully developed is a felony. I was wondering if we could say that the attacker just preformed an abortion without a medical lisence (not to mention against the girl's will)

I'm not saying the feuts (or zygote or embroyo) is a human life. I'm saying that if a woman is pregnant and someone forces* her to become not pregnant (IE miscarry) they should be punished

Answer 1

I wish there was a charge for someone killing a foetus especially if the unborn child was to be born (and not terminated). It would be horrible for the parents to have someone else make that decision for them by taking the unborn child's life.
I am pro-choice and everyone has a choice.

Answer 2

I really am not pro choice. I dont agree with abortions but Im not going to tell the next person what to do. To me, a fetus is a baby. I am only 9 weeks pregnant and my little one already has a heart.
I do agree that if you attack a pregnant woman, then you should be punished if she loses that child. If you kill the baby inside, it should be treated as a living thing because thats just what it is. Who cares that it hasnt seen the light of day. Neither have blind people (unless they were blinded after birth.) They should be protected too.

Answer 3

In the eyes of the law, a fetus that is 24 weeks or older (in most states) it is considered a living being, and anyone that kills it can be charged with murder. Any fetus younger is considered property of the mother, and the law treats it as such.

That being said, I have a hard time with this "pregnancy clause" you speak of because you are contradicting your pro choice stance. You on one hand think the mother has a choice to terminate her pregnancy, but on the other hand, if anyone else terminates that pregnancy, they should be held in a more stringent regard in the eyes of the law. It doesn't make any sense.

The law recognizes it fine for me. I do understand the harshness and extra duress of losing a pregnancy at the hands of another, but I think that if it comes out in court that the criminal caused the miscarriage of a victim, they will most certainly get the max punishment for their crime. After all, the judge and jury are only human, right? They do have emotions, and they will influence their decision if given such harsh information (which they will be).

Answer 4

Abortion is a crime as defined in the Penal Laws. A person who causes the abortion is liable for the abortion with an aggravating circumstance of being the cause other than the mother. Thus, a higher penalty is given to the suspect if proven beyond reasonable doubt.

Answer 5

This is definetely a difficult choice.

I am pro-choice, and I think you have good ideas. My opinion is that if abortion in the particular state is not permitted for a fetus at that stage of development(a lot of places do not allow 3rd trimester abortions), the offender should be charged as if that person were walking around with the rest of us. But if the mother could have walked into an abortion clinic that day and had one, the attacker should have "illegal abortion" tacked on to whatever he did to the mother.

Answer 6

I am not prochoice however:
there are penalties for causing the death of an inuterine child, if the mother wanted to carry her child. Also murder of a pregnant woman counts as double homicide. Lastly children are only born with 95% brain development, so according to your terms not even a new born has begun life, just thought id let you know that.

Answer 7

I am pro-choice as well but I don't think that has anything to do with the answer to your question. If any woman is preganant and someone purposfully or by some act of carelessness on their part does something that causes her to miscarry or for the unborn baby to be killed then I definately thing that life should be treated with extra punishment.

Answer 8

Actually, here in OK it is a crime to do that. If someone causes the death of fetus, or of the mother and fetus it's murder here. The fetus has to be over I think 28 weeks however to qualify. A few years back a guy shot his pregnany girlfriend and it was a double murder because she was 7 months along. I've also seen several other types of criminals charged with manslaughter for battery that lead to fetal death. For the record, I'm pro-choice myself and agree that fetuses that are wanted shoudl be protected under the law.

Answer 9

Yeah I see your point. I'm not sure how the law reads when the fetus is lost but woman is still alive, but they were able to Charge Scott Peterson for the death of his unborn baby, so lets hope they can start doing something about this.
If it happened to me. I would feel as though my baby were killed, and I'd be seeing him in court.

Answer 10

We all have our thoughts and opinions so when i say this I do not put anything against you but when you produce a child that child is a human being. Why is abortion and someone doing that different? Both are destructing a human being isnt it? Just a question. I hope you find the answer! :)