The Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2003: "Separate Offense" Provisions and Penalties


 

Publication Date: September 2003

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Law and ethics

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Abstract:

The Unborn Victims of Violence Act (H.R. 1997, S. 146, and S. 1019, 108th Congress) would establish a separate offense category for conduct causing injury to, or the death of, a "child ... in utero," with certain specified exceptions. This report briefly summarizes the principal features of the bill and provides digests of the relevant portions of the criminal statutes whose violation would cause the "separate offense" provisions to operate if injury or death to the child in utero results. For a more detailed discussion and analysis of the proposed Act, see CRS Report RS21550, The Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2003, by Jon O. Shimabukuro.