Kevin Brady: “I strongly support H.R. 503, The Unborn victims of Violence Act and want to thank my colleague from South Carolina for…”

“I strongly support H.R. 503, The Unborn victims of Violence Act and want to thank my colleague from South Carolina for introducing it. As you know, H.R. 503 would make it a separate Federal crime to hurt or kill an unborn child during the commission of a Federal crime against a pregnant woman. 24 States currently recognize both the mother and the unborn child as victims of violent crimes. And in 1999, this chamber passed this legislation by a vote of 254 to 172. However, it was never brought up for a vote in the Senate. I also strongly oppose the Substitute Amendment being offered by Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren. Her amendment fails to recognize the unborn child as a victim of a crime, even in circumstances when the perpetrator acts with specific intent to kill the unborn child. Under her amendment, a criminal could receive a stiffer sentence for interfering with 'the normal course of the pregnancy' while committing a Federal crime. The premise of this approach is that there has only been one victim, the mother, who has suffered a compound injury. However, if an expectant mother is shot and her baby is born disabled because of the bullet, would anyone say that only the mother and not the child had been injured. However, if the baby dies before being born, the supporters of the substitute amendment say only one person has suffered. This is wrong.”