Expanded Feticide Bill Heads To Governor's Desk

Brandon Smith

Article origination IPBS-RJC

Legislation headed to the governor would allow prosecutors to seek a murder charge against someone who attacks a woman and causes the death of her fetus.

Current law allows such charges if the fetus is viable. The legislation eliminates the need for viability.

And that change in law has some anti-abortion groups cheering. They argue the measure gives legal standing to unborn fetuses that hasn’t existed before, which could be used to better defend anti-abortion laws.

Sen. Aaron Freeman (R-Indianapolis) notes his bill is explicit about what it does and doesn’t do.

“This bill has nothing to do with two things. One is a woman’s legal right to an abortion,” Freeman says. “And two, it does not have anything to do with a woman who would terminate her own pregnancy.”

The Senate gave final approval to the bill 41-8.

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