Press Release

Fetus Rights Bill Decried by Humanists: Stealth Move Against Women's Right to Abortion

For Immediate Release - Contact: Roy Speckhardt at (202) 238-9088

(Washington, D.C., March 26, 2004) Late Thursday the U.S. Senate voted to approve Senate Bill 1019. Humanists recognize that this absurdly named "Unborn Victims of Violence Act" could increase the criminal charge from assault, to assault and murder if a pregnant woman is harmed in a crime--even the day after conception! The bill equates a single cell zygote with an adult human being and, once President Bush signs this bill into law, people could be charged with separate offenses, one against the woman and one against the fetus.

This is the first time a zygote, embryo, or fetus is so distinctly recognized as a legal entity separate from the woman carrying it. Executive Director of the American Humanist Association Tony Hileman called it a "direct strike on Roe v. Wade," insisting that the bill "transgresses the wisdom of the viability standard established in Roe, and represents a gigantic step by Congress down a dangerous slope that could lead to the complete undermining of women's reproductive rights in America."

Hileman explained stating "Any legislation that proposes separate and specific rights for a zygote, embryo, or fetus, leaves room for future congressional and judicial decisions that place the rights of the organism equal or superior to those of the individual living woman, thus threatening the inalienable rights of women."

AHA president Mel Lipman added, "this is a sad day in the rights of women to control their bodies. If this bill is about protecting women from domestic violence, as its proponents suggest, why did the Senate reject an amendment proposed by Sen. Murray to grant new benefits to victims of domestic violence?

"Though the current bill falls short of an abortion ban, proponents of this bill are ultimately seeking to outlaw women's right to choose and therefore see the motivations behind legal abortion and federally violent crimes virtually identical. If this ludicrous and perilous logic is extended to the fullest, women taking the morning after pill will serve sentences for murder," concludes Lipman. The American Humanist Association has a long tradition of championing individuals' sexual rights and responsibilities, including women's reproductive right to choice.

The American Humanist Association is the oldest and largest Humanist organization in the nation. The AHA is dedicated to ensuring a voice for those with a positive nontheistic outlook, based on reason and experience, which embraces all of humanity .

Press Room