Senate Passes Unborn Victims of Violence Act; President Bush Signs Measure
The Senate on Thursday, 3/25/04, approved 61-38 a bill (S 1019) known as the "Unborn Victims of Violence Act" that would make it a separate crime to injure a fetus during the commission of a violent federal crime against a pregnant woman, USA Today reports (Stone, USA Today, 3/25). The House last month approved 254-163 an identical bill (HR 1997). The measure -- which is also known as "Laci and Conner's Law" because of the high-profile murder case of pregnant California woman Laci Peterson -- would apply only to federal crimes of violence, crimes committed under the Uniform Code of Military Justice or crimes committed on federal land. Under the measure, perpetrators could be charged regardless of whether they were aware of the woman's pregnancy. Similar measures were passed in the House in 1999 and 2001 but failed in the Senate (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 2/27). Twenty-nine states have similar laws to cover "more numerous" state crimes; however, some state laws do not cover the entire duration of pregnancy, according to the Washington Post. In Thursday's vote, 13 Democrats joined all but two Republicans in supporting the measure (Dewar, Washington Post, 3/26). President Bush lauded the bill's passage and said he would sign it, according to the Los Angeles Times. "We must continue to build a culture of life in our country, a compassionate society in which every child is welcomed in life and protected by law," Bush said in a statement (Simon, Los Angeles Times, 3/26). President Bush then signed the measure on April 1, 2004. Amendment to the Bill Fails The Senate rejected 50-49 an amendment, sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif), that would have allowed an additional charge to be filed against someone who attacks a pregnant woman but would not recognize a fetus as a "second victim," according to the Washington Times (Fagan, Washington Times, 3/26). Feinstein said she offered the alternative because the DeWine bill, which states that life begins at conception, could lead to a court ruling that "embryonic stem cell research becomes murder and abortion in the first trimester becomes murder as well," according to the New York Times. Feinstein added, "[The DeWine bill] will be the first strike against all abortion in the United States of America" (Hulse, New York Times, 3/26). Four Republicans joined "most" Democrats in supporting Feinstein's amendment, according to the Post (Washington Post, 3/26).
The following information is from The Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report (published for www.kaisernetwork.org.)
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