Victims’ families urge support for fetal homicide law

RALEIGH (AP) — The families of two women who died while they were pregnant urged lawmakers today to consider a bill to make it a separate crime to kill an unborn baby.

The so-called fetal homicide bill is sponsored by Transylvania Representative Trudy Walend and Davie Senator Andrew Brock.

Both bills are stuck in committees. The two Republican sponsors were joined today by the women's families to urge action. Tim Nielsen's pregnant wife was killed last month as she delivered newspapers in Raleigh. Wilson says changing the law wouldn't comfort his family, but it might help others.

Wake Representative Deborah Ross leads the House committee that has Walend's bill. Ross says the Legislature addressed the issue ten years ago by increasing penalties for crimes that cause a miscarriage or stillbirth.

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