See for yourself...
Prosecutors charge pregnant girl in beating case
May 28th, 2009 @ 11:12am
VERNAL, Utah (AP) -- Prosecutors have charged a 17-year-old girl who allegedly paid a man to beat her up so she would have a miscarriage.
The girl, whose fetus survived, is charged in 8th District Juvenile Court with first-degree felony criminal solicitation to commit murder. She appeared in Juvenile Court on Wednesday, and Judge Larry Steele has ordered her to remain in a juvenile detention facility.
Prosecutors say the girl paid 21-year-old Arron Harrison of Naples $150 to beat her up after her boyfriend threatened a break up if she didn't get rid of the child.
Harrison is charged with second-degree felony attempted homicide and made his first appearance in court Wednesday.
1) So, was it a viable fetus or not? Because last time I checked, Roe vs Wade was still in effect and it was legal to eliminate an unwanted fetus up to the point of viability (22 weeks). Opinions on that issue aside, shouldn't it be legal?
2) If the fetus was viable, then it wasn't a miscarriage she was intending, but a still birth. Miscarriage is only before 20 weeks. So was she trying to cause a miscarriage or a still birth?
2) That's a weird way to get an abortion. By beating? Hmmmm. Not too bright on the mother's part.
3) Is the charge of solicitation to commit murder against herself? Because then shouldn't it be "solicitation to commit suicide?"
4) If the victim PAID the assailant to beat her up, can he really be charged with assault or attempted homicide?
This is such a weird case, I don't know where to begin! Who's making this stuff up anyway?
11 comments:
Here's my take on it:
1) The article says the girl is 7 months pregnant, which should put her past the 22-week threshold. Thus, it would not be legal for her to terminate the pregnancy.
2) Again, based on the idea that she is 7 monts preggers, sounds like it was a still birth she was trying to cause. Most ppl don't know the distinction & I suspect the reporter was one of those ppl & therefore said "miscarriage".
2 (don't know why there are 2 #2's).....Obviously, this young woman is not the brightest bulb on the string.
3) Most likely the charge of solicitation to commit murder is against the fetus.
4) Yes, he can be charged. Just because he was paid to do it doesn't exculpate him. If it did, then a contract hit man would have no responsibility for knocking off his victim. "I was hired to do it" is not a viable legal defense.
I hope the girl gets the help she needs. She's obviously very vulnerable and not emotionally stable right now. Very sad all around.
I think this is one of the saddest things I have ever heard. There are so many people who want children and can't, and then this loser of a girl gets to be a mom. Sad. How is this poor child going to feel when she/he grows up and realizes how much the mom didn't want him/her.
I think this is one of the saddest things I have ever heard. There are so many people who want children and can't, and then this loser of a girl gets to be a mom. Sad. How is this poor child going to feel when she/he grows up and realizes how much the mom didn't want him/her.
I always find it so odd that abortion if completely legal, but if a pregnant woman is mudered, the assailant is often charged with 2 deaths.
And this could be a million of the girls I have worked with.
I echo Kristina P.
Abortion is legal, but what this chick did is not?
For the love, let the baby be born, and given to a family that actually deservesit.
The assailant should have to clean prison bathrooms for a year.
The girl should have to sit in on every single abortion performed in Utah and watch exactly what happens. AFTER, they sterilize her.
wow. i'm at a loss for words.
but, i seem to completely agree with LN's comments.
Well, the story has been updated since I first read it. It now says the girl was 7 months pregnant, which it didn't at first. So that changes everything. An abortion isn't legal at that stage, so neither would an induced still birth be. But I wonder if they would charge her for attempted homicide if the baby had been less than 22 weeks. Because that would surely be hypocritical of our legal system. I still say asking someone to hit you shouldn't be a chargeable crime. But if he's biting her and stuff, well, that isn't exactly part of the bargain, is it?
Again, the whole thing is so utterly strange!!!
That is the freakiest thing that I have ever read---how sad---it definitely would be a full term baby.
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Well, my thought have pretty much been covered. This is just plain sad.
I still think it's murder, even if it's legal!!
Very sad that someone would do that do a baby she didn't want. Off this topic, one thing that bugs me are people that have kids that go unwanted and unloved. Sometimes it's because a welfare check is involved or they just want attention. I feel sorry for children in families like that, which adds to the drama we have to deal with in every day life.
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