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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A man charged under an Ohio fetal homicide law for taking his pregnant girlfriend to an abortion clinic at gunpoint pleaded guilty Thursday to attempted murder, weapons and abduction counts. Dominic Holt-Reid, 28, pulled a gun Oct. 6 on girlfriend Yolanda Burgess and forced her to drive to the clinic, police said. Burgess, who was who was three months pregnant and 26 years old at the time, did not go through with the procedure but instead passed a note to a clinic employee, who called police. She has since delivered a healthy baby. Prosecutors brought their...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A 15-year-old boy threw a football against a pregnant teen's stomach twice, causing the baby to be born prematurely and die hours later, authorities said. State prosecutors are reviewing the case to determine whether to file charges. Neither the boy nor the baby's mother, also 15, was identified. The boy's age, intentions and state of mind will be considered, said Maria Schneider, assistant state attorney in charge of the Juvenile Division. She said she likely will make a decision in January; the boy is not in custody. "When somebody shoots somebody in the head, it's very...

CINCINNATI -- A teenager could face murder charges after police said he beat and stomped his pregnant girlfriend, killing their unborn child. Sources told News 5 that Alfonzo Price, 15, and a friend beat up Kerria Anderson, 18, early Thursday as she pushed her 1-year-old daughter in a stroller on the 1800 block of Race Street. “She said the guy that was with her hauled off and hit her in the face,” said Betty Payne, the victim’s grandmother. “While he hit her in the face, the other guy came in and jumped on her, too.” Payne said Price and his...

BALTIMORE, Md. (The Catholic Review) - A married Baltimore County man accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend will become the first person prosecuted under Maryland’s new fetal homicide law - a move applauded by a Catholic lobbyist and a medical professional. After a grand jury handed down an indictment of two counts of first-degree murder for David L. Miller, 24, of Hillendale July 3, Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott D. Shellenberger announced he would personally prosecute the case - with aid from an assistant state’s attorney. Traditionally, state’s attorneys in large metropolitan counties spend little - if any - time...

"Raleigh — During a candlelight vigil for an unborn baby that died last month when his mother was murdered, scores of people were expected to call Monday for a state law to make killing a pregnant woman a double murder. "An unborn child should be recognized if the mother's killed," said Kevin Blaine, whose daughter, Jenna Nielsen, was stabbed to death June 14. Nielsen, 22, of Fuquay-Varina, was killed as she refilled USA Today newspaper boxes. Her body was found behind a Lake Wheeler Road convenience store. She was eight months pregnant with her third son. That boy, who was...

GOP lawmaker denounces move as 'cowardly,' 'gutless'AUGUSTA - A procedural move Thursday by Senate Democrats could end chances of passing a fetal homicide bill this session. The bill would create a set of new crimes in Maine including "the murder of an unborn child, manslaughter of an unborn child and assault on an unborn child." The Senate late Thursday afternoon voted 21-14, along party lines, to send the bill back to the Judiciary Committee. A supporter of the bill called the Senate Democrats' maneuver "cowardly" and "gutless."The House of Representatives today is expected to consider whether it will concur with...

Double Murder Conviction for Man Who Helped Girlfriend Miscarry Tuesday, June 07, 2005 LUFKIN, Texas — A 19-year-old accused of causing his teenage girlfriend to miscarry two fetuses by stepping on her stomach was convicted Monday of two counts of murder. Gerardo Flores (search) received an automatic life sentence because prosecutors did not seek the death penalty, which was available under the state's 2003 fetus protection law (search). Erica Basoria, 17, acknowledged asking Flores to help end her pregnancy; she could not be prosecuted because of her legal right to abortion. The defense contended that Basoria punched herself while Flores...

LUFKIN - An East Texas man accused of causing his teenage girlfriend to miscarry twins by stepping on her belly was convicted Monday of two counts of capital murder. ADVERTISEMENT Gerardo Flores, 19, who was prosecuted under the state's new fetal protection law, received an automatic life sentence. Erica Basoria acknowledged asking Flores to help end her pregnancy, but the 17-year-old can't be prosecuted because of her legal right to abortion. The defense contended that Basoria punched herself while Flores was stepping on her, making it impossible to tell who killed the twins. The jury reached a verdict after deliberating...

19-Year-Old Stepped On Stomach While Girl Punched Self LUFKIN, Texas -- A 19-year-old East Texas man faces a life prison sentence for causing his teenage girlfriend to miscarry twins, even though she wanted to end the pregnancy. Gerardo Flores was accused of causing the miscarriage by stepping on his girlfriend's stomach. He was prosecuted under the state's new fetal protection law. Erica Basoria acknowledged asking Flores to help end her pregnancy. But the 17-year-old can't be prosecuted because of her legal right to abortion. The defense contended that Basoria punched herself while Flores was stepping on her, making it impossible...

An East Texas man accused of causing his teenage girlfriend to miscarry twins by stepping on her stomach was convicted Monday of two counts of capital murder. Gerardo Flores, who was prosecuted under the state's new fetal protection law, received an automatic life sentence. Erica Basoria acknowledged asking Flores to help end her pregnancy, but the 17-year-old can't be prosecuted because of her legal right to abortion. The defense contended that Basoria punched herself while Flores was stepping on her, making it impossible to tell who killed the twins. The jury reached a verdict after deliberating four hours. Since prosecutors...

HELENA (AP) _ A bill that would criminalize killing or injuring a fetus sparked a fierce debate over abortion at a legislative hearing Tuesday, despite assertions by its sponsor that it had nothing to do with terminating a pregnancy. Rep. Penny Morgan, R-Billings, said her bill was meant to address violence against pregnant women and get justice for the unborn children harmed or killed in the process, such as in the Laci Peterson case in California. ``This is a bigger problem than people have ever realized,'' she told the House Judiciary Committee. Opponents called her House Bill 231 a thinly...

<p>SAN FRANCISCO — The killer of a pregnant woman can be found guilty of the murder of her fetus as well, even if the assailant did not know the victim was pregnant, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday.</p> <p>The court's 6-1 decision expands the reach of a 1970 state law that made it possible for prosecutors to charge assailants with the death of a fetus when a pregnant woman is attacked. A similar federal law making it a crime to kill a fetus in the commission of a federal offense was signed into law last week. Both laws exempt abortion.</p>

<p>SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The state Supreme Court strengthened California's fetal-homicide law yesterday, declaring that the killing of a pregnant woman counts as two homicides even if the perpetrator was unaware that the victim was pregnant.</p> <p>The 6-1 decision overturns a 2002 lower court ruling that said a killer must know the victim was pregnant to be guilty of killing the fetus.</p>

<p>The House is expected to pass fetal homicide legislation today, and Carol Lyons — whose pregnant daughter Ashley and unborn grandson Landon were slain last month — had a message for Senate opponents of the bill, such as Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry.</p>

Fetal Homicide Bill Headed for Governor's Desk Frankfort, KY A bill that creates a new crime known as "fetal homicide" is heading to Governor Fletcher for approval. The Senate passed the measure Wednesday. It would create a section of the state's criminal code that would make someone found guilty of criminally causing the death of a fetus inside the uterus eligible for life in prison without parole. It is the first bill this year to pass both chambers of the legislature. It has an emergency clause, which means the law would take effect once Fletcher signs it. Fletcher has...

<p>FRANKFORT — Supporters of a bill to make killing a fetus a crime at any stage after conception crowded the Capitol rotunda yesterday for a rally that included tearful testimony about women whose pregnancies ended in tragedy.</p> <p>House Bill 3, which is largely backed by Republicans, drew the support of Gov. Ernie Fletcher, who pledged at the rally to help champion what also is known as the Caleb-Haley Act, named for the stillborn babies of two women who were in vehicle accidents caused by impaired drivers.</p>

ORLANDO, Fla. - (KRT) - Thirty years after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion, two highly publicized cases and a proposed federal law have escalated the debate on whether the unborn deserve "fetal rights." First, the slayings of Laci Peterson and her unborn son in California thrust the concept of fetal rights to the national stage. Prosecutors have charged Scott Peterson with double murder under the state's fetal-homicide law. Both Houses of Congress, meanwhile, are expected to pass the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which would create a new and separate offense for anyone harming or killing the fetus while...

'Fetal Homicide' Bill Reintroduced in Congress 36 minutes ago Add Health - Reuters to My Yahoo! By Julie RovnerWASHINGTON (Reuters Health) - Calling the recent murder in California of the 8-months-pregnant Laci Peterson (news - web sites) a case that has "electrified all of America," a group of U.S. Senators and House members Wednesday reintroduced legislation that would make it a separate federal crime to injure or kill a fetus during commission of a violent crime.   "The recent tragedy in California clearly has highlighted this problem," said Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, who has introduced the "Unborn Victims of Violence...