Laci Peterson's "Fetus" -- topic of abortion debate -- please comment

bluesapphire

I am interested in hearing everyone's comments on this. My own personal "jury" is still out on this and I would like to hear different perspectives.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=32157

Laci's unborn baby
in abortion debate
NOW fears pro-life ammunition,
opposes double-murder charge

Posted: April 21, 2003
1:00 a.m. Eastern

The California deaths of Laci Peterson and her unborn son are sending shock waves across America as the issue of when human life begins has been reignited.

Laci's husband Scott was arrested last week following the discovery of what prosecutors say is Laci's body and that of their "biological child."

Scott Peterson shown in booking photo from Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department

Scott Peterson, who was booked on two counts of murder hours after his arrest in San Diego, is scheduled for an arraignment hearing today. If charged and convicted of double homicide, he could face the death penalty.

Already, some pro-choice groups including the National Organization for Women are voicing their opposition to the double-murder charge, saying it could become part of the pro-life lobby's arsenal.

"If this is murder, well, then any time a late-term fetus is aborted, they could call it murder," Morris County NOW President Mavra Stark told the Daily Record of Parsippany, N.J.

"There's something about this that bothers me a little bit," Stark said. "Was it born, or was it unborn? If it was unborn, then I can't see charging [Peterson] with a double-murder."

"[The boy] was wanted and expected," Stark added, "and [Laci] had a name for him, but if he wasn't born, he wasn't born. It sets a kind of precedent."

But pro-life groups are defending the two murder charges.

Laci Peterson

"Obviously, [the child] was wanted by the mother," Marie Tasy of New Jersey Right To Life told the Record. "Clearly, groups like NOW are doing a great injustice to women by opposing these laws. It just shows you how extreme, and to what lengths, these groups will go to protect the right to abortion."

More than two dozen states have fetal homicide laws on the books, but they vary widely.

According to Court TV, "In some states, such as Missouri and Minnesota, a fetus is considered a living thing at conception. In others, like Georgia and Michigan, a fetus is only protected after "quickening" – when movement is first felt in the womb – occurs. In Pennsylvania, where a woman was convicted [last month] of murder for causing a romantic rival to miscarry her 15-week-old fetus, the 1999 law applies to any stage of pregnancy."

The lack of a singular standard in the law has weighed heavily on the minds of many.

In a letter to the editor of the Modesto Bee published March 29, weeks before Laci's body was discovered, Father Joseph Illo of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Modesto wrote:

"California law defines a fetus as human after eight weeks' gestation if you kill his or her mother. If the mother kills the fetus, then California law changes its mind to say, in that case, the fetus is no longer human. Is a human fetus human or not? If the Laci Peterson case is a 'double' homicide, then any abortion after eight weeks in this state is a 'single' homicide. That is why I've been praying at abortion clinics these last 10 years – that we will come back to our senses."

Nathan Natas

My understanding is that the fetus was more than eight months old. I don't think an eight month old fetus would normally be considered a candidate for abortion. This child could easily have survived outside the womb had he been delivered that day.

I think the murder charge stands.

ThiChi

NOW is heartless. To state that they are against the double murder charge because it can now be used by pro life people for ani abortion reasons, is just a product narrow thinking and it is deplorable.

NOW’s statement has politicized this issue to its ends. Since this law is on the books in California already, and other cases have been settled according to this law, NOW’s actions beg the question, Who really has an agenda here?

Scully

An embryo becomes a fetus at the point in pregnancy when all the vital organs have formed. It has a heart, a brain, eyes, nose, fingers, toes, stomach, genitalia, etc, etc. It merely needs to grow and develop from this point. In humans, this is at about 8 weeks after conception, or 10 weeks gestation (which is counted from the first day of a woman's last menstrual period).

Had Laci's baby been born at 8 months' gestation, he likely would have survived and thrived. The fact is that he died as a direct result of his mother's murder.

I think it will be up to the jury to determine whether the intent was to kill both Laci and the baby she was carrying. If the intent was to kill just Laci, and not harm the baby, why could he not wait another few weeks?? Seems to me whoever wanted Laci dead, also wanted the baby dead too. Therefore, double homicide. Killing two birds with one stone still kills two birds.

Love, Scully

Francois

Scully is right IMO. This was two murders. Don't forget that even at that late date, that child could have be subjected to a "partial-birth abortion." I don't see why they don't just jerk the child from the birth canal and beat its head on the floor instead of dressing up what they're doing with fancy words like "partial-birth abortion."

But I digress. If I'm a bank robber using a .357 jacketed bullet and I shoot the bank guard and the bullet passes through the guard's heart and exits his body and then strikes another person in a vital spot so that he dies, too, that's TWO murders. Same, same with Laci & Connor Peterson.

I have always thought NOW was about a half-bubble off plumb. They see life throught their set of filters and ONLY their set of filters. And they expect US to look at everything through their filters as well. It's too bad. NOW has been largely co-opted by the "alternative lifestyle" folks which has tended to water down the other points women want to make, and these women have a point. Too bad they're being drowned out by the sexual orientation crowd.

francois

teenyuck

Here in Ohio a few years ago, a man killed his girlfriend who was 8 months pregnant. He slit her throat and then he dropped a huge rock on her stomach to ensure the baby was murdered. (I believe he used earth moving equipment; her body was found on a construction site)

They prosecuted him for double murder. He got the death penalty. This was in the last 18 months (his trial).

The just interviewed the prosecutor, trying to figure out what the California authories will do, and the prosecutor said the child would have survived outside the womb if he had not killed it. Hence the double murder charge.

This is such a horrible way to get away from your responsibilities, I am dumbstruck that people are so evil.

What NOW is doing is just wrong. I am all for a woman's right, however, using these murders as a way to make a point is heartless. Partial birth abortion sounds horrific. If they can take pre-mies that are 12 weeks away from gestation, why cannot they give the mother a C-section and save the baby?

SheilaM

NOW sucks plain and simple to equate what was done to Laci and her child to their fear of it effecting abortion rights proves how evil they are. She wanted to live and wanted her child and who ever took that joy from her should suffer the death penalty

freedom96

The National Organization for Women can kiss my ass.

This is about an asshole who killed his pregnant wife. Period. End of story.

But, no, they find this to be a great time to bring up their arguement. They can go spout off all they want, but go do it on their time. Don't involve other cases.

bluesapphire

This story strikes very close to home because I just delivered my son in January and I was only eight months pregnant. I look at him and think, "How could anyone kill a little person like you???" It baffles me. Here he is cooing and smiling at me. He breathes, eats, poops, laughs, cries, feels pain. He's a human being. He's even sensitive. Once he got mad at me and he communicates with me using his body language and his eyes.

This is the type of little human being that was inside Laci's body. Poor little Connor. I feel like crying when I think of him. Let alone his mother. But Connor .... it's just evil!

And the implications are clear with regard to late term abortions. I think they should be considered murder! And no wonder a group like NOW is jumping in. They are gnashing at their teeth! I'm not 100% against very early abortions -- like the embrionic stage in severe cases of deformity. But that's it. Otherwise, this makes me lean very strongly toward the pro-life group.

free will

connor left the womb at some point. before during or after the murder. he was old enough to survive. scott petersen destroyed connors chance - he deserves the double murder charge.

Laci Peterson's "Fetus" -- topic of abortion debate -- please comment

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