Comments on: Murder of pregnant teen

By: jeffk

jeffk — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:21:41 +0000

.. or we could all just talk about the Insight Bowl. Yes, let’s do that.

By: jeffk

jeffk — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 14:56:32 +0000

Leaving an abortion debate aside, I would simply understand if this is an inconsistent position to be both pro-choice (which I’ll go out on a limb and guess most mnspeakers are) and pro-fetal-homicide-law. I think is depends on what your pro-choice argument is.

If you use the sort of Singerian argument which is basically that a fetus has all of the intellect and sentience of a pig and pigs are made from bacon – then in this case you’re basically saying abortion is murder, but you’re for giving the owner of the kid the choice to commit murder. Which would be inconsistent, I hope.

On the other hand, if you use the “you wouldn’t force me to donate a kidney” argument, it’s sort of like killing someone who’s on life support, which, of course, is still homicide.

The former’s always seemed stronger for me, but I think I could be swayed.

By: sandburg

sandburg — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 05:25:08 +0000

I'm with Aliecat. I also think the knowledge of her pregnancy plays in as well-- she was visibly pregnant and whoever killed her could see that she was pregnant. Whoever killed her intended to kill her and the fetus.

By: aliecat

aliecat — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 03:22:04 +0000

I think fetal homicide is perfectly legitimate if that fetus would have a chance at life if born at the minute of the crime. At 7 months gestation, that fetus could realistically have been viable.

By: champs

champs — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 00:58:11 +0000

Fetal homicide is a perfectly legitimate crime, in my mind. A mother’s right to choose is exercised no matter what decision she makes, and the taking of her life is also the taking of that choice.

By: thanks

thanks — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 23:05:04 +0000

Thanks for bringing this up.

I’m amazed that the Strib wrote a lengthy, front-page article about this without once even hinting at the unborn child law, when it was enacted and how often it’s been used.

By: ebourne

ebourne — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 23:03:37 +0000

I’ve been following this story via Johnny Northside for a while, and it was amazing the information people were willing to share through comments. It was a great to see the safety and anonymity of the Internet being used for good instead of trolling.

By: Max Sparber

Max Sparber — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 22:39:33 +0000

Interestingly, our fetal homicide law is quite a bit stronger than the one laid out by the Bible itself. From Exodus 21:22: When people who are fighting injure a pregnant woman so that there is a miscarriage, and yet no further harm follows, the one responsible shall be fined what the woman's husband demands, paying as much as the judges determine.

Certainly the young girl's murder should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, but what do people feel about treating the death of a fetus in this circumstance as a homicide?

By: norwego

norwego — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 22:34:38 +0000

Why haven’t they caught the man that did this? Why? He could be in Canada by now.