House Passes Unborn Child Crime Law
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/AP) - The Florida House has been busy Thursday passing a multitude of bills including a bill that would make the death of an unborn child a separate crime from any crime committed against the mother.
The bill would force criminals to face the additional charges, even if they didn't know the woman was pregnant. It passed on a 74-43 vote.
The bill would apply to fetuses at any point in gestational development but wouldn't apply to abortion providers.
Supporters say perpetrators who harm a woman should be held accountable for harming her unborn child.
Opponents say it elevates the status of a fertilized egg to that of an adult and would lead to a spike in pregnancy tests to determine if attacked women are pregnant.
A companion Senate bill has cleared a couple of committees.
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