Utah's legislature will be asked to deal with a loophole in homicide law that allowed a teenager to be set free after hiring someone to beat her to cause a miscarriage.
State Representative Carl Wimmer launched the move in the legislature after the law was used by a judge to release the 17-year-old. "[The judge] made a comparison to a medical procedure abortion," says the state lawmaker. "And [as far as] hiring this thug to beat her until the baby died, he said there's no difference -- which is absolutely absurd."
Wimmer is convinced the law was not interpreted correctly, but a bill is being filed to make sure that type of ruling is prohibited in the future. Currently law states that if a pregnant woman is beaten and loses her child, a homicide has occurred.
What is even more stunning, notes the lawmaker, is that the child was born alive -- and now, the teen has applied for custody of the baby.
"The fact that she wants to get custody now of this child who she tried to murder, it makes it that more absurd," he remarks. "...I don't even have the vocabulary to explain how sad of a situation it is and what an outrage it is that she is going free after doing such a barbaric thing."
Wimmer expects his bill to pass easily.
Contact: Charlie Butts
Source: OneNewsNow
Publish Date: October 16, 2009
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