New Mexico Bill Would Criminalize Abortions After Rape As 'Tampering With Evidence'

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I'm not sure what has me more shocked: this stupid bill or that a woman suggested it.

Quote: 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 ®, 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.“

The bill is unlikely to pass, as Democrats have a majority in both chambers of New Mexico's state legislature.

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.â€

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

 
I think there is more to the story than a blurp on the Huffington Post, but this won't pass. Especially concerning survivors of sex crimes. That's a delicate subject and to criminalize or penalize people that have endured such atrocities that additionally resulted in pregnancies? The bill does seem ludicrous..but politicians put forth crap every day, all day! They can submit any kind of bill they propose, but that doesn't mean it'll even get a passing glance, let alone any support or backing to push it up to the Senate.

 
If it's tampering with evidence the easiest way to bypass that is for the remains of the fetus to be turned over to the police. After all alive or dead the fetus DNA would remain the same.

 
Originally Posted by MissLindaJean /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I think there is more to the story than a blurp on the Huffington Post, but this won't pass. Especially concerning survivors of sex crimes. That's a delicate subject and to criminalize or penalize people that have endured such atrocities that additionally resulted in pregnancies?

The bill does seem ludicrous..but politicians put forth crap every day, all day! They can submit any kind of bill they propose, but that doesn't mean it'll even get a passing glance, let alone any support or backing to push it up to the Senate.
Agreed, there is no chance in hell it will pass but the fact that this keeps coming up more and more really ticks me off.

Originally Posted by zadidoll /img/forum/go_quote.gif

If it's tampering with evidence the easiest way to bypass that is for the remains of the fetus to be turned over to the police. After all alive or dead the fetus DNA would remain the same.
Exactly!

 
I read about this earlier today when hub discovered the article. It's disgusting. It will never pass though.

 
I'm wondering if "extreme" bills like this are introduced with the intention of major compromising down the road, so the legislator still gets a minor piece approved after serious amendments.. are politicians that cunning? Lol.

 
Originally Posted by MissLindaJean /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I'm wondering if "extreme" bills like this are introduced with the intention of major compromising down the road, so the legislator still gets a minor piece approved after serious amendments.. are politicians that cunning?

Lol.
Yes. They "stuff" big bills with lots of small crappy things so when everyone passes the big bill then their junk passes too. The sad thing is a lot of voting Americans do not read the bills in their entirety so they don't realize until after the fact. Lots of sneaky tactics are used in washington.

 
It's infuriating for me to see people trying go to backwards... In my country(Costa Rica, not to be mistaken w Puerto Rico) abortion is illegal and I personally know a woman that got pregnant from being raped and had her baby. It's a horrible thing to not let a woman decide, but is worse to force them to keep a reminder of such a horrible act! Last month or so, there was a case in  my country where this lady had a baby that wouldn't be viable outside of the womb and she was forced to carry her baby to term!(baby died as soon as it was born ofc...) Imagine how horrible it must be, being super happy you are having a baby(she was), knowing your baby won't make it...and being forced to still carry it to term!! ugh! (lots of signatures were collected and a bunch of stuff was done to try to help her and she still had to carry it). So when I see news about people trying to make abortion go backwards here...it makes me think there is no hope for my  country and girls...GIRLS (9-12 year olds) that get knocked up from being raped have to have their babies! It's sad and infuriating! 

 
God this bill just pisses me off. Like Zadi said, the fetal DNA is the same, whether or not that is collected from a born baby or the remains of one after an abortion. Rape victims should NOT be forced to keep a baby that they had no decision of it's conception. I could possibly understand that maybe requiring the fetal remains be kept as DNA evidence but even that seems invasive to me. 

I'm glad there are enough intelligent people in the country to not pass this. But it's absurd to me that it was even CONSIDERED.

It makes me so angry, lol. I enjoy the freedom to my own body. Nobody cannot take that from me and the day they can, I don't even know where America is headed.

 
I know this is a serious topic and I am not trying to be funny or rude or disrespectful (it's hard to convey things via keyboard) but I did not see this addressed in the article blurb.  So if the woman is expected to carry the baby to term for evidence what happens to the baby?  Is the woman expected to raise it?  The rapist's family?  Is the baby put up for adoption?  It seems like there are a lot of issues this bill doesn't address in addition to the whole issue of what a woman can/cannot do with her body, lack of compassion for people of crimes/victims or abuse etc.

 
OMG!  How sad.  Thank you for sharing I did not know that abortion was illegal in Costa Rica.  

Originally Posted by beautymadn3ss /img/forum/go_quote.gif

It's infuriating for me to see people trying go to backwards... In my country(Costa Rica, not to be mistaken w Puerto Rico) abortion is illegal and I personally know a woman that got pregnant from being raped and had her baby. It's a horrible thing to not let a woman decide, but is worse to force them to keep a reminder of such a horrible act! Last month or so, there was a case in  my country where this lady had a baby that wouldn't be viable outside of the womb and she was forced to carry her baby to term!(baby died as soon as it was born ofc...) Imagine how horrible it must be, being super happy you are having a baby(she was), knowing your baby won't make it...and being forced to still carry it to term!! ugh! (lots of signatures were collected and a bunch of stuff was done to try to help her and she still had to carry it). So when I see news about people trying to make abortion go backwards here...it makes me think there is no hope for my  country and girls...GIRLS (9-12 year olds) that get knocked up from being raped have to have their babies! It's sad and infuriating! 
 
Originally Posted by lovepink /img/forum/go_quote.gif

OMG!  How sad.  Thank you for sharing I did not know that abortion was illegal in Costa Rica.  
Abortion is illegal in most latin american countries sadly. Cuz the catholic church is really involved in the government in most of them(not to offend catholics and don't get offended, I just think there HAS TO be a division between state and church)...So the catholic church doesn't let anything pass(most of the population is catholic too). In vitro fertilization is illegal too. They only allow it in my country (and most of the other countries in latin america) if the woman is going to die and in Panama only if it was cuz of rape.

Latin american countries where abortion is legal:

Uruguay(really recent)

El Salvador

Nicaragua

Dominican Republic

Haiti

Cuba

Illegal in the rest of the countries with some rape exceptions.

What is most shocking is that my country's president is a woman!

There's a law in our constitution that says that the official state religion is Roman,catholic, apostolic. And they have a say in any matters regarding reproduction and sexuality...

 
Oh wow!  Thanks for sharing!  I always enjoy learning about other countries and cultures and since everyone I know except me has to been to Costa Rica, it's nice to learn about something other than "pura vida" and gorgeous beaches etc.

The Catholic connection would make sense!

Originally Posted by beautymadn3ss /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Abortion is illegal in most latin american countries sadly. Cuz the catholic church is really involved in the government in most of them(not to offend catholics and don't get offended, I just think there HAS TO be a division between state and church)...So the catholic church doesn't let anything pass(most of the population is catholic too). In vitro fertilization is illegal too. They only allow it in my country (and most of the other countries in latin america) if the woman is going to die and in Panama only if it was cuz of rape.

Latin american countries where abortion is legal:

Uruguay(really recent)

El Salvador

Nicaragua

Dominican Republic

Haiti

Cuba

Illegal in the rest of the countries with some rape exceptions.

What is most shocking is that my country's president is a woman!

There's a law in our constitution that says that the official state religion is Roman,catholic, apostolic. And they have a say in any matters regarding reproduction and sexuality...
 
Originally Posted by lovepink /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Oh wow!  Thanks for sharing!  I always enjoy learning about other countries and cultures and since everyone I know except me has to been to Costa Rica, it's nice to learn about something other than "pura vida" and gorgeous beaches etc.

The Catholic connection would make sense!
YW ^^ You should go! It's gorgeous and I miss it! haha love the fact that you know our "slogan" XD

 
Haha that is what every picture any of my friends has posted on face book said!  (I had to google before posting just in case it meant something bad!) I hope to go someday!  Do you get back often?  I bet you miss it especially the weather.

Sorry I know it's off topic mods.  I hope that the Senate people of NM see this bill for the crazy talk it is and don't let it go anywhere (except maybe to line kitty litter boxes or bird cages, the paper the bill is written/typed on that is!)

Originally Posted by beautymadn3ss /img/forum/go_quote.gif

YW ^^ You should go! It's gorgeous and I miss it! haha love the fact that you know our "slogan" XD
 
Oh I live there XD I'm just visiting the bf...and no, I don't miss the weather that much, we have 2 seasons: dry and rainy and right now my mom said it's super hot! and I'll go back in March almost April which was said to be the hottest time we are going to have this year + rain= humidity...which is fine when you are at the beach/vacations, but not so much when you have to go to work and stuff XD

Quote: Originally Posted by lovepink /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Haha that is what every picture any of my friends has posted on face book said!  (I had to google before posting just in case it meant something bad!) I hope to go someday!  Do you get back often?  I bet you miss it especially the weather.

Sorry I know it's off topic mods.  I hope that the Senate people of NM see this bill for the crazy talk it is and don't let it go anywhere (except maybe to line kitty litter boxes or bird cages, the paper the bill is written/typed on that is!)

 
 
I am surprised less and less by some of the bills that WOMEN are coming out with. It really sort of spits on all of the women who protested to give women today equal grounds. I know a woman who had a baby that came from a rape. She had a hard time bonding with the child because she looked just like the man. This law is ill thought out....if they want to get DNA to prove a case then it doesn't have to go to full term at all, nor should a woman be told that is has to.

 
There's no way this will pass. This is just. so. stupid.

And yeah, I agree - DNA is DNA, there is no need to force a woman to carry a baby derived from rape just to get it's DNA after its born. Ugh.

I'll never understand women trying to push women's rights back to where they were once-upon-a-time not-so-long-ago. -_- /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

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