Posted: 3/26/04
Senate approves fetus protection bill
By Robert Marus
ABP Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON (ABP)—The Senate has given final approval to a bill that treats violence against a pregnant woman as two separate crimes—against her and the fetus she is carrying.
The Senate passed the bill 61 to 38. The House had passed the measure in February.
President Bush, in a statement promising to sign the bill into law, urged Americans to "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."
Opponents of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act say it will undermine abortion rights by defining a fetus—from conception—as a human life in federal law.
The measure would be applicable only to federal crimes, such as those that take place on federal lands or against certain government employees.
But the bill's supporters said Congress needs to bring federal law in line with state statutes. Twenty-nine states already have laws that recognize crimes against fetuses.
The bill also contains an exception that explicitly protects abortion doctors from being prosecuted under its provisions.
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