NH House passes fetal homicide bill

On Wednesday the New Hampshire House of Representatives voted in favor of HB 560, a bill that allows prosecution on behalf of a fetus killed during the commission of a crime. 

Rep. Leon Rideout (R-Lancaster) is the primary sponsor of the bill.  His daughter Ashlyn Rideout was seven months pregnant when a car collision killed her unborn child.  State law did not allow prosecutors to charge the driver at fault for manslaughter.

"A mother should have the right to justice when a child is taken from her," said Rideout.

Opponents worry that the bill would make mothers vulnerable to prosecution for behaviors that harm a fetus, even though the bill includes an exception for mothers.  Some pro-choice advocates argue that the bill sets a precedent for granting rights to fetuses.

"The bill creates a difficult contradiction by establishing fetal rights separate from a woman’s rights,” said Geoffrey Hirsch (D-Bradford). "We should be adopting policies that promote a policy that pregnant women retain their civil and human rights through all stages of their pregnancies."