Bill would say an abortion after rape is tampering with evidence...

[cynatnite]

A Republican lawmaker in New Mexico introduced a bill on Wednesday that would legally require victims of rape to carry their pregnancies to term in order to use the fetus as evidence for a sexual assault trial.

House Bill 206, introduced by state Rep. Cathrynn Brown (R), would charge a rape victim who ended her pregnancy with a third-degree felony for "tampering with evidence."

“Tampering with evidence shall include procuring or facilitating an abortion, or compelling or coercing another to obtain an abortion, of a fetus that is the result of criminal sexual penetration or incest with the intent to destroy evidence of the crime," the bill says.

Third-degree felonies in New Mexico carry a sentence of up to three years in prison.

Pat Davis of ProgressNow New Mexico, a progressive nonprofit opposing the bill, called it "blatantly unconstitutional" on Thursday.

“The bill turns victims of rape and incest into felons and forces them to become incubators of evidence for the state,” he said. “According to Republican philosophy, victims who are ‘legitimately raped’ will now have to carry the fetus to term in order to prove their case.“

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/24/new-mexico-abortion-bill_n_2541894.html

[Scuba]

1. I'd like to propose a bill that says "being a Republican is evidence of insanity". Thanks.

[SirRevolutionary]

2. Hmmm how did I know

it was a puke who created this bill?

[ck4829]

3. This would also give rapists a new defense that they could use

[leftyohiolib]

4. they are sooooo freaked out about white people becoming a minority

[surrealAmerican]

5. It kind of is, but ...

... no more so than removing a bullet from someone who's been shot. Crime victims' health and well being is simply more important than preserving evidence.

[RC]

6. Yeah, but there, the bullet is evidence.

The same as with aborting after a rape. Both need to look at the evidence in a timely manner. So abort and take a DNA sample of the fetus already.

[LeftInTX]

7. Article was updated:

UPDATE: 12:25 p.m. -- Brown said in a statement Thursday that she introduced the bill with the goal of punishing the person who commits incest or rape and then procures or facilitates an abortion to destroy the evidence of the crime.

“New Mexico needs to strengthen its laws to deter sex offenders,” said Brown. “By adding this law in New Mexico, we can help to protect women across our state.”

I have no idea how often a rapist procures or facilitates an abortion. This is a bad bill. If she carries a child to term, the rapist's defense is simply, "She carried the child to term, she wanted to get pregnant."

[BainsBane]

8. this is what comes from refusing to acknowledge basic science

DNA testing can be done on an embryo at any stage.

[cthulu2016]

9. Ironic. (Abortion would be the only way to preserve the evidence!)

Since he is concerned about changing evidence he needs to blame God because these fetuses are all about change.

The only way to preserve the evidence is to have an abortion as soon after the impregnation as possible and store everything removed in a freezer.

[ljm2002]

10. Forced birth...

...they are becoming more and more blatant as to what their real agenda is.

Women as vessels / vassals. That's what they want. The fact that it is a female lawmaker just tears me up. She is basically proposing to deny human rights to her own gender.

I can't even say what my first thought was when I read this. Let's just say my second thought, which was, I would dearly, dearly love to walk right up to this woman and smack her hard right across her face. And then do the same thing with my other hand.

Not that it would be useful. It would be horribly counter productive. Also illegal. It's not something I would actually do. But sometimes it's nice to daydream.

On edit: no I don't believe her backpedaling statement even a little bit.

[Bake]

11. Patently unconstitutional on its face.

Makes abortion a felony. Abortion is still legal in this country.

FAIL!

Bake