11/18/09

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) _ A Utah legislative interim committee has
advanced a bill that would allow prosecutors to seek criminal
charges against women who seek late-term abortions via non-medical
means.

Under the proposal, a woman could be charged with a
second-degree felony if she intentionally aborts an unborn child
after a fetus becomes viable, which is at about 20 weeks of
pregnancy.

With some medical exceptions, late-term abortions are illegal in
Utah _ but women cannot be held criminally liable. The bill's
sponsor, Republican Rep. Carl Wimmer of Herriman, says he wants to
remove that provision from the law.

The bill is in response to the case of a pregnant teen from
Vernal who allegedly paid someone to beat her in an effort to abort
a 7-month-old fetus.

The girl pleaded no contest to a criminal solicitation charge
and went to detention. A judge later said the girl could not be
held liable and the charge has been dismissed.


(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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