[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 55 (Friday, April 27, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E663]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E663]]



                 UNBORN VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE ACT OF 2001

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 26, 2001

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to speak on H.R. 
503, the ``Unborn Victims of Violence Act.''
  Although this bill recently passed the House by a vote of 252 to 172, 
it is important that we not give up the fight to protect women from 
violence, but equally as important, a woman's right to choose.
  Acts of violence against women, particularly pregnant women, are 
tragic and should be punished accordingly. However, the Unborn Victims 
of Violence Act is not the answer to imposing such punishment because 
it seeks to separate the woman from her fetus in the eyes of the law, 
elevating the legal status of the fetus to that of an adult human 
being.
  Currently, sentencing guidelines already exist that enable Federal 
judges to impose increased penalties for criminal acts that compromise 
a woman's pregnancy. Such penalties punish the additional injury to the 
woman without recognizing the fetus as a legal entity separate and 
distinct from the woman. And certainly, this is how it should be.
  Clearly, the best way to protect the fetus, is to better protect the 
woman, and it is my hope that Congress will one day enact a more 
reasoned approach to violence against women.

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