First Step in Overturning Roe v. Wade?
From ABC News:In a major win for social conservatives, Congress is sending to the president legislation that would expand the legal rights of the unborn by making it a separate crime to harm a fetus during an assault on a pregnant woman.
The Unborn Victims of Violence Act cleared the Senate on a 61-38 vote Thursday, a month after the House passed the bill and five years after conservatives first tried to move the legislation through Congress.
The measure is limited in scope, applying only to harm to a fetus while a federal crime is being committed against the pregnant mother, such as terrorist attacks, drug-related shootings or attacks on federal lands or military bases. But proponents on both sides of the fetal rights and abortion issue saw far-reaching consequences.
Tony Perkins, president of the conservative Family Research Council, said that with the president's signature, "our nation will be one giant step closer to rebuilding a culture of life, where every child, born and unborn, is given the protections they so clearly deserve." President Bush has urged Congress to send a bill to his desk.
But the president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, Kate Michelman, said it would be the first time ever in federal law that an embryo or fetus is recognized as a distinct person, separate from the woman. "Much of this is preparing for the day the Supreme Court has a majority that will overrule Roe v. Wade," the 1973 Supreme Court decision affirming a woman's right to end a pregnancy.
Matt's Chat
This law has a pretty narrow scope, but I would have to say that we'll have to wait and see what the activist judiciary does with it after the President signs it in to law...Mark's Remarks
The whole pro death crowd's argument about hindering a woman's right to choose is nonsense. There is a specific exemption for abortions. Yet, they want to paint this as an attempt to hinder the right to kill a baby. Wow, more caring about the Children (well, they are only children if they are born) from the Party of Love. John "the F stands for Flip flop" Kerry stopped by to cast another "nuanced"(read duplicit) vote. He voted for the law in an amended form but then voted it down when it came time to put it to final approval.
In fact, read the callous sounding words from an email from John Kerry to a constituent:
Dear Mrs. ______:
Thank you for contacting me regarding S. 146, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. I appreciate hearing from you on this important subject.
S. 146, introduced by Senator DeWine (R-OH), would make it a federal offense to injure or cause the death of a "child in utero." This legislation elevates the legal status of a zygote, an embryo and a fetus by treating the "child in utero" as a human being separate from the mother regardless of its stage of development. No knowledge of the pregnancy or intent to cause harm is necessary for prosecution. Under this legislation, women carrying pregnancies are exempt from prosecution, as are the medical professionals who perform abortions or provide emergency medical treatment.
Although this legislation exempts performing abortions from prosecution, this bill would clearly impact a woman's right to choose to terminate her pregnancy, as that right is set forth in Roe vs. Wade. I believe that an attack on a pregnant woman should carry increased penalties. However, legislation granting a fetus the same legal status in all stages of development as a human being is not the appropriate response. I have serious concerns about this legislation because the law cannot simultaneously provide that a fetus is a human being and protect the right of the mother to choose to terminate her pregnancy. Therefore, I do not support the Unborn Victims of Violence Act.
Thank you for contacting me. Please feel free to contact me again on this or any other issue.
Sincerely,
John F. Kerry
United States Senator
Unborn babies do not count when they are savagely murdered, despite even the mother's living, as in some of those victims who testifyed, according to Mr. Kerry...what a big kind hearted guy, eh?
email courtesy of www.nrlc.org Read more about the response to Mr. Kerry's callous comments there, and about the many victims of this crime.....
