Here's a surprise:
A South Carolina woman sentenced to 12 years in prison for homicide as a result of suffering a stillbirth has lost a bid to reverse her conviction. In a one-line order issued Monday, the US Supreme Court let stand a South Carolina Supreme Court decision upholding her conviction for homicide by child abuse. The woman in question had used cocaine during her pregnancy.
Hmmm. What if she went bike riding and fell. If the baby was stillborn, would she be guilty of murder?
South Carolina officials defend the prosecution and the state law as an attempt to deter pregnant women from engaging in risky behavior.
I guess she would in South Carolina.
It seems to me that "risky behavior" in this context is just as offensive as "woman's health" in most abortion statutes. It's too vague, too open to deliberate distortion based on political ideology.
Posted by Rich at October 7, 2003 12:17 PM | TrackBack