Um... what?
From the Salt Lake City Tribune's website:
Measure on illegal abortions heads to governor
Opponents fear 'reckless' clause could haunt domestic violence victims who stay with their abusers.
By Brandon Loomis
The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 02/18/2010 06:20:08 PM MST
The Utah Senate has joined the House in allowing homicide charges against expectant mothers who arrange illegal abortions.
The bill responds to a case in which a Vernal woman allegedly paid a man $150 to beat her and cause miscarriage but could not be charged. The Senate on Thursday approved HB12 on a vote of 24-4, criminalizing a woman's "intentional, knowing, or reckless act" leading to a pregnancy's illegal termination. It specifies that a woman cannot be prosecuted for arranging a legal abortion.
The measure now goes to Gov. Gary Herbert for final action.
Some Senate Democrats attempted a last-minute amendment to remove the word "reckless" from the list of criminal acts leading to miscarriage. They argued that criminalizing reckless acts leaves open the possibility of prosecutions against domestic violence victims who return to their abusers only to be beaten and lose the child.
"It's part of the cycle of domestic violence," said Sen. Luz Robles, D-Salt Lake City.
"I hope none of you ever have to face that situation," she said after realizing the majority would pass the bill as is, "or have a daughter facing that situation, or a granddaughter."
But the bill's sponsor, Sen. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem, said the bill doesn't target victims at all -- only those who arrange to terminate their pregnancies illegally.
"I know it's well-intentioned," Dayton said of the attempt to lift "reckless acts" from the bill,
"but I don't think we want to go down the road of carefully defining the behavior of a woman."
Robles and Sen. Ben McAdams said they had spoken to the bill's original sponsor, Rep. Carl Wimmer, R-Herriman, just before the debate and believed he would support the change on behalf of domestic violence victims. Dayton, though, said Wimmer sent her a text message during the debate asking her to press on.
Wimmer later said he had been open to the Democrats' suggestion, but it had come too late.
"I wasn't about to hold the bill up," he said.
----
Um... what? Murder charges for miscarriages? So what, if you're pregnant and go for a walk and get mugged and have a miscarriage you can be charged with murder because you "recklessly" went for a walk in a potentially dangerous situation?! Can you believe this crap?!
Welcome to the Soviet States of America, people! Please, continue to blithly allow your rights to be stolen in the name of "safety" or "protecting the innocent" or whatever load of bull the politicos decide to shovel onto your plate this week. I suppose you'll be very grateful to the plutarchic government you've allowed to come in to being when they give you back 10 cents out of every dollar you earned and say it's a refund or tell you who to breed with or where you can live. Enjoy.
Measure on illegal abortions heads to governor
Opponents fear 'reckless' clause could haunt domestic violence victims who stay with their abusers.
By Brandon Loomis
The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 02/18/2010 06:20:08 PM MST
The Utah Senate has joined the House in allowing homicide charges against expectant mothers who arrange illegal abortions.
The bill responds to a case in which a Vernal woman allegedly paid a man $150 to beat her and cause miscarriage but could not be charged. The Senate on Thursday approved HB12 on a vote of 24-4, criminalizing a woman's "intentional, knowing, or reckless act" leading to a pregnancy's illegal termination. It specifies that a woman cannot be prosecuted for arranging a legal abortion.
The measure now goes to Gov. Gary Herbert for final action.
Some Senate Democrats attempted a last-minute amendment to remove the word "reckless" from the list of criminal acts leading to miscarriage. They argued that criminalizing reckless acts leaves open the possibility of prosecutions against domestic violence victims who return to their abusers only to be beaten and lose the child.
"It's part of the cycle of domestic violence," said Sen. Luz Robles, D-Salt Lake City.
"I hope none of you ever have to face that situation," she said after realizing the majority would pass the bill as is, "or have a daughter facing that situation, or a granddaughter."
But the bill's sponsor, Sen. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem, said the bill doesn't target victims at all -- only those who arrange to terminate their pregnancies illegally.
"I know it's well-intentioned," Dayton said of the attempt to lift "reckless acts" from the bill,
"but I don't think we want to go down the road of carefully defining the behavior of a woman."
Robles and Sen. Ben McAdams said they had spoken to the bill's original sponsor, Rep. Carl Wimmer, R-Herriman, just before the debate and believed he would support the change on behalf of domestic violence victims. Dayton, though, said Wimmer sent her a text message during the debate asking her to press on.
Wimmer later said he had been open to the Democrats' suggestion, but it had come too late.
"I wasn't about to hold the bill up," he said.
----
Um... what? Murder charges for miscarriages? So what, if you're pregnant and go for a walk and get mugged and have a miscarriage you can be charged with murder because you "recklessly" went for a walk in a potentially dangerous situation?! Can you believe this crap?!
Welcome to the Soviet States of America, people! Please, continue to blithly allow your rights to be stolen in the name of "safety" or "protecting the innocent" or whatever load of bull the politicos decide to shovel onto your plate this week. I suppose you'll be very grateful to the plutarchic government you've allowed to come in to being when they give you back 10 cents out of every dollar you earned and say it's a refund or tell you who to breed with or where you can live. Enjoy.