Colorado Democrats Defeat Unborn Victims Bill After Mom’s Baby Cut Out of Her Womb

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   May 4, 2015   |   7:31PM   |   Denver, CO

After Republicans in the Colorado state Senate approved an unborn victims bill to hold criminals accountable when they kill or injure unborn children in violent crimes against them and their mothers, Democrats in the state House killed the bill.

That means victims like Baby Aurora, who was cut out of her mother Michelle Wilkins’ (pictured above) womb in a horrific assault that claimed her life earlier this year, will not receive any justice. Criminals in Colorado, unlike most other states, can’t be charged with a second crime for killing or injuring unborn babies.

Today the Offenses Against Unborn Children Act, (SB 268) was defeated in the House State Veterans and Military Affairs Committee in a party-line vote of 6-5 with Democrats opposing the bill and Republicans supporting it.

Colorado Citizens for Life, the statewide pro-life group, is very disappointed by the vote.

“In March, a woman in Longmont was arrested after she attacked Michelle Wilkins and cut her 7-month-old unborn baby from her womb. Michelle’s daughter Aurora died, but she survived. Unbelievably, after the grisly incident, prosecutors in Boulder County announced that the woman responsible for baby Aurora’s death would not face murder charges because Colorado law refuses to provide justice for unborn babies,” said Colorado Citizens for Life director Sarah Zagorski.

“It is a travesty that not a single Democrat voted in favor of this legislation, which would bring justice for babies like Aurora who die in violent homicides. At the very least, Colorado Citizens for Life would hope that lawmakers could put aside their partisan differences to pass this common sense piece of legislation,” she said.

During the debate on the measure, pro-abortion Democrats falsely claimed the bill would be used to prosecute women for miscarriages or would ban abortions, even though federal unborn victims law and the laws of dozens of states have not done so.

As LifeNews has reported, the Colorado woman who cut out a 7-month-old unborn baby from Michelle Wilkins’ (pictured above) abdomen, resulting in the death of the infant, will not be charged with murder. That’s because the state lacks an unborn victims law to hold criminals accountable when they kill or injure unborn children in such criminal attacks.

Republican Senator Ellen Roberts, a woman who is not pro-life on abortion, summed up the debate and the need for the bill: “It’s about the acknowledgment that there were two victims of a crime. “The bottom line is, admitting that a fetus could be person in certain circumstances .. does not undermine abortion rights.”

“Could we possibly take the politics out of this?” Roberts asked after abortion advocates called a unborn baby killed in such a crime “the pregnancy.” “What if we kept our minds open to a bill that could address the kind of situation we had in March? We all know it’s dead on arrival in the House … (but) what if we sent the House a bill that showed courage?”

SB268 would allow prosecutor “bring a charge that any person on the street would think would be appropriate” she added.

“Recent shows that 76% of American’s support Unborn Victims of Violence legislation. This should show Colorado lawmakers that it’s time for our state to catch up with the rest of Americans and implement laws that reflect what the majority of our citizens believe. It is outrageous that Colorado prosecutors were not able to bring murder charges against

“Although Planned Parenthood and the ACLU argued that Colorado’s 2013 “Crimes Against Pregnant Women” law, is sufficient for our state, it didn’t bring Michelle Wilkins or her baby Aurora the justice they deserve. Now SB 268 is headed to the Senate floor,” Zagorski said.

The bill creates a number of crimes against unborn children who are killed or injured in the process of an assault or homicide against the baby’s mother. The measure is similar to bills that have been used in the past to prosecute criminals for two crimes against both mother and child. Unborn victims laws have repeatedly been upheld as constitutional in court.

Dynel Catrece Lane was arrested after she attacked a pregnant woman and cut her 7-month-old unborn baby from her womb. In this unbelievable act of violence, the baby died but the mother, Michelle Wilkins (pictured), survived.

Colorado state law does not regard unborn children as human beings who deserve justice when they are killed. In 2013, Colorado Democrats killed a bill that would add the state to the list of more than 25 states that provide justice and protection for pregnant women and unborn children. Pro-abortion groups Planned Parenthood and NARAL opposed the bill – the very groups that endorsed Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett in his race for attorney general. Garnett is the county prosecutor who is not bringing forth murder charges against lane for killing Wilkins’ unborn baby.

Senate president Bill Cadman is the sponsor of the unborn victims bill, Senate Bill 268, that mirrors federal law and the laws of dozens of states.

“This is a sad day for the mothers of Colorado, and for the fathers of Colorado,” Cadman said in a statement after no murder charge for Baby Aurora was brought. “And for every Coloradan who was stunned to learn that no murder charges will be brought on behalf of a Longmont infant savagely cut from its mother’s body in one of the most horrific crimes in recent memory.”

“Where’s the justice for that baby?” said Cadman.

michellewilkins5

“That’s very simple,” he said. “It doesn’t call into question anybody’s rights over their own body. It absolutely protects the right of the mom and of her baby.”

“This really is a horrific situation. . .  we need equal protection for the 60,000 plus babies who are born in Colorado every year; protection that they don’t have now; protection that is afforded to them in 38 states, including some of the most liberal like California. That’s what this bill does. This is not new. This is an issue that’s come before us. Frankly, it was a discussion that I had with a house member, Representative Joshi, about two months ago, and it certainly is timely now,” Cadman said.

Current state law in these kinds of cases is governed by a 2013 law called the Unlawful Termination of a Pregnancy Act, that merely attaches a sentence enhancement for crimes against pregnant women — while ignoring the death of or injury to the unborn baby. That law provides no justice for unborn children.

Please Take Action: Please thank the Senators who voted yes to this common-sense piece of legislation and tell the Senators who voted against it that you’re disappointed they didn’t vote to protect unborn children who are victims of violent crimes.

Voted No:
Voted Yes: