One more step has been taken by the U.S. House of Representatives to safeguard the life of the unborn, with legislation approved Thursday making it a crime to harm a fetus in the course of an assault upon a pregnant woman. The welcome legislation found opposition by abortion-rights activists who call it a backdoor approach on defining a fetus as a person. Sponsors of the legislation call it a hard-line stance to make violence against women easier to prosecute and obtain convictions. During House debate, speakers carefully avoided use of the word “abortion,” and legislators stressed this is not an abortion-related bill. However, the action should be welcome by anyone who wants to see pregnant women afforded extra protection under the law. Rep. Steve Chabot of Ohio is quoted, saying, “The only people who have anything to fear from this bill are criminals who engage in violence against pregnant women and their unborn children.” Those are usually the men who brutally beat their wives or girlfriends, causing harm to the unborn fetus. Who could take the side of such men? Rep. Henry Hyde of Illinois added, “I cannot imagine a more extreme position than to deny the humanity of an unborn child.” However, opposition argued the bill “dehumanizes” the woman carrying the child. The debate on abortion and related issues will continue for years to come. However, it seems clear that violence against women, especially pregnant women, deserves extra legislation to make it a harsher punishment against those who commit such a crime. With greater attention now being paid to spousal abuse, such legislation is overdue and should be supported, no matter the political stripe. To deny such legislation would seem to validate the wife-beater, sending him the message, in effect, it is one thing to beat your wife, but the child she carries has no protection from the law. Spousal beatings are on the rise in this nation, both upon men and women. However, a childbearing woman is especially vulnerable to such attacks. Not only is her own life endangered, but also the unborn life who cannot defend himself. We applaud the effort to protect the unborn from such potentially deadly attacks and urge our senators to act accordingly.

L’Observateur