The Iowa Right to Life Committee is asking legislators to let prosecutors file -two- murder charges when a pregnant woman is killed. The group says 24 states have such a law that would apply in cases like the one in California involving Lacy Peterson. House Speaker Christopher Rants, a Republican from Sioux City, says the legislature has enhanced the penalty for a crime that would kill an unborn child, like causing a car wreck. Rants says there used to be no penalty when there was an accident and an unborn child was killed. Rants says, though, they might consider this year the prospect of toughening the penalty for a crime that would cause both the unborn child and the mother to die. Legislative leaders, though, want to examine the details before proceeding. Senate President Jeff Lamberti, a republican from Ankeny, is a lawyer, too.Lamberti says no one in the legislature’s is familiar with the issue, but they’ll start gathering the research on it. The Right to Life Committee also says the state is paying for abortions for poor women who are carrying a deformed fetus, and they want that taxpayer funding to be halted.
Iowa's Radio News Network
