Planned Parenthood: Don’t Punish Criminals Who Kill a Mother’s Unborn Child

State   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   Feb 5, 2018   |   5:22PM   |   Richmond, VA

Planned Parenthood led Virginia pro-abortion groups this week in attacking a new bill to protect unborn babies who are killed by drunken drivers.

Sponsored by state Sen. Mark D. Obenshain, the bill would allow drunken drivers to be charged with involuntary manslaughter if their actions cause an unborn baby’s death. The Virginia Senate Courts of Justice Committee moved forward with Senate Bill 541 Monday, sending it to the Committee on Finance for review.

The Northern Virginia Daily reports Obenshain decided to introduce the bill after a pregnant woman’s unborn baby died last year in a vehicle crash in his district.

The Planned Parenthood abortion business regards the bill as a threat because it recognizes that unborn babies have value.

Jennifer Allen, CEO of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, admitted as much in a news release.

“… SB541 is not about punishing criminals or protecting women. Conservative politicians continue to push fetal personhood bills like SB541 to chip away at abortion rights,” Allen said. “If SB541 ultimately passes out of the General Assembly, we are so grateful that Governor [Ralph] Northam will have his veto pen ready.”

Interestingly, Allen said the “loss of a pregnancy is tragic,” but she conveniently did not explain why.

Several other pro-abortion groups joined Planned Parenthood in blasting the legislation.

“This bill is not about protecting the woman. Neither is it about preventing DUIs or criminal negligence,” said Tarina Keene, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia. “This bill is about enshrining in Virginia law the pernicious concept of ‘fetal personhood’ and an ideological position that can be used to limit a woman’s access to abortion and birth control as well as prosecute pregnant women.”

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Noting that the bill applies to unborn babies from the moment of conception, the groups complained that some women and the alleged perpetrator may not even know about the pregnancy when the crime takes place.

Obenshain’s bill would increase protections for unborn babies that already are established in Virginia fetal homicide law. According to the 2004 law: “Any person who unlawfully, willfully, deliberately, maliciously and with premeditation kills the fetus of another” may be imprisoned from 20 years to life; and any person who does so without premeditation may be imprisoned for not less than five nor more than 40 years.

According to the National Right to Life Committee, 38 states recognize the unlawful killing of an unborn child as homicide in at least some circumstances.