Hawaii Law Enforcement Introduce Unborn Victims Bill in Legislature 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
January 19, 2006
Honolulu, HI (LifeNews.com) — The Hawaii Law Enforcement Coalition on Tuesday introduced several measures for the upcoming legislation, one of which is a bill intended to protect pregnant women and their unborn children from acts of violence.
The legislation would allow prosecutors who hold criminals accountable for the second crime when they attack a pregnant woman and kill or injure her unborn child.
Under current state law, manslaughter charges can be brought against a criminal for recklessly killing another person, but the term person only includes those who have been born alive.
The measure would change the statute to include unborn children from the point of viability. While the measure would protect some unborn children, pro-life groups say it should include all unborn children from the point of conception throughout pregnancy.
Hawaii Attorney General Mark Bennett (R), who announced the proposed measure, said the proposal does not attempt to classify unborn children as persons with respect to abortion.
"It has nothing to do with abortion," Peter Carlisle, prosecuting attorney for Honolulu, told the Associated Press, adding, "The purpose of this is to give protection to pregnant mothers and the child they want to have."
HLEC is made up of Hawaii’s four county prosecutors, four police chiefs, the state attorney general’s department and the local U.S. attorney.
The state legislature began its new session on Wednesday and pro-life groups are also monitoring the possibility of a measure designed to legalize assisted suicide.
According to the National Right to Life Committee, 20 state provide laws that protect pregnant women and their unborn children throughout pregnancy. Another 12 states provide protection only through the latter parts of pregnancy.
Related web sites:
National Right to Life – https://www.nrlc.org
