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AJC.com > Legislature > Blog > Archives > 2006 > March > 27 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USBill makes killing a pregnant woman at any stage a double slaying
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A person accused of killing a pregnant woman could be tried on two murder charges under legislation unanimously approved Monday by the Georgia House.
Rep. Sue Burmeister (R-Augusta) said the bill mirrors federal legislation signed into law by President Bush in 2004 after the high-profile murder of Laci Peterson and her unborn son, Conner, in California.
It establishes “The Unborn Victims of Violence Act,” a measure that some pro-choice advocates had decried as a back-door attempt to assign legal rights to a fetus.
But Burmeister told House members that it’s been written into the bill that it will not affect a woman’s right to an abortion, and the bill passed with no debate by a vote of 155 to 0.
“It is a common-sense law that I believe even Lacy Peterson would support if she were alive today,” Burmeister said.
Current Georgia law defines feticide as the killing of a fetus that has reached “quickening,” usually around the 20th week of pregnancy.
Senate Bill 77, which goes back to the Senate for final approval, states that anyone can be prosecuted for assault, manslaughter or murder of a fetus, regardless of the stage of pregnancy.
Leola Reis, spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood Georgia, said her group still believes “there are better ways to deter violence against pregnant women” than SB 77, which was sponsored by Sen. Renee Unterman (R-Buford).
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