Prenatal Protection Act and a Tragedy in Michigan

A 16 year boy has been charged with a felony under the Michigan's Prenatal Protection Act for helping end his girlfriend's pregnancy by hitting her in the abdomen with a baseball bat. The girlfriend, who was six months pregnant at the time had her boyfriend hit her repeatedly with a 22-inch souvenir bat over a two-week period in an attempt to terminate the pregnancy. She subsequently gave birth to a stillborn infant. The boy was charged, the girlfriend was not. Pam Sherstad, spokesperson for Right to Life of Michigan, said that the 1999 state law's provision exempting pregnant women from prosecution was added so that the law does not conflict with the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Art Caplan, said that the girl should be charged with "planning, plotting or conspiring to murder," but he added that "it's tough to do because the law takes a different view of developing potential life than it does of actual life. If the boy was charged with murder, she probably would be facing charges, too." -- Linda Glenn

Choice? What Choice?

Arlen Specter is up for Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is one place many in Washington (and lots of other places) expect W to spend some of his "political capital" on limiting or even reversing Roe v. Wade. Specter is on record as being pro-choice. So, already the key Republican in favor of embryonic stem cell research, he decided he'd be clear with the media about his view of Roe. You can just guess what the conservative protestants thought about that idea - they decided maybe the Senator would not be the best guy to run the nomination process for new judges. National Review suddenly called him 'our own worst enemy', and LifeSite said he 'Borked himself'. Conservative Voice said he would be a disaster in the role. And these are just stories from the past three days. But remember, Specter is a prosecutor by training and long experienced. So he adroitly responded to Karl Rove's phone calls by talking to Judy Woodruff on Monday and let Bush and us know that:

I led the fight to confirm Justice Thomas and I almost lost my seat as a result of it in the United States Senate. And every one of President Bush's nominees I have supported in the committee and on the floor.

The fate of Roe is at maybe its most delicate point since the Casey decision that came out of Specter's home state. Here's hoping the Senator fights for choice half as hard as he will have to fight to get this job.