James M. Talent: “If a man takes a woman across State lines--let's say she is his girlfriend, and she has gotten pregnant, and he does not…”

“If a man takes a woman across State lines--let's say she is his girlfriend, and she has gotten pregnant, and he does not like that fact--and he assaults her, hits her in the stomach or something, with the intention of getting rid of the baby, and his act of violence has the intended effect and the baby dies, what we are saying is he has claimed two victims. He has hurt mom, or maybe done worse to her, and he has killed the baby, which is what his intention was to do. I think all of us recognize the seriousness of that kind of offense and acknowledge that an offense like that against a pregnant woman, and directed at the baby, is more serious because of the status of pregnancy and because of the existence of that child than it would otherwise be.”