Ross’s Rebuttals For Not Submitting Unborn Victims’ Rights Bill
1. Ross states “ the bill has so many groups against it that if it comes up for debate in committee, it will
get stuck in debate and not go anywhere. The bills she calls up are bill that have agreements worked out
beforehand, and they can pass out of committee to the floor.”
2. Ross states “there are already enhanced penalties for crimes against pregnant women in MC, which
other states don’t have.” If someone harms a woman and she dies, but the crime only counts for 2nd
degree murder because it was not intentional, that crime can be bumped up to first degree murder, a
more serious charge with stiffer penalties like life in prison. And under the proposed law, that crime
would just result in two 2nd degree murder charges which could mean the perpetrator could get out of jail
in a few years. This is the reason DV groups are opposed.
3. Ross stated “she is still trying to figure out what she is going to do. Some advocated for DV victims
prefer the state’s current law, which allows a person who injures a woman and caused a still birth or
miscarriage to be charged with a more sever crime.”
4. “They like the current law because they like the automatic bump-up. Ross said “for example if a
perpetrator killing a pregnant woman would have originally been charged with second-degree murder, the
charge could be elevated to first-degree murder if the action resulted in the fetus’ death.”
5. Ross said “We are the only state in the Southeast that has the automatic bump-up. Sen. Martin Mesbitt,
D-Bumcomeb, who chairs a Senate Judiciary Committee, gave a similar response regarding a
comparable bill residing in his committee.” “Virtually every women’s advocacy group on the planet is
opposed to this bill,” Nesbitt said. “They feel it will be detrimental to women.” “We have something in the
law that already makes it an aggravating factor.”
6. Ross said “with the backing of lawyers groups and DV groups in the state, creating a second and
separate offense for unborn victims would put the additional burden on attorneys and families to hold a
second trial and provide proof of a second offense.”
7. Nesbitt said “he hasn’t heard the abortion rights argument regarding the bills filed this year.
8. House Speaker Joe Hackney said “opposition to the bill is based on the state’s Injuries Against Pregnant
Women law that up grades a charge if it involves pregnant victims.”
