Teen Gets Life Sentence For Helping Girlfriend End Pregnancy...

[southernleftylady]

LUFKIN, Texas -- A 19-year-old East Texas man faces a life prison sentence for causing his teenage girlfriend to miscarry twins, even though she wanted to end the pregnancy.

Gerardo Flores was accused of causing the miscarriage by stepping on his girlfriend's stomach. He was prosecuted under the state's new fetal protection law.

Erica Basoria acknowledged asking Flores to help end her pregnancy. But the 17-year-old can't be prosecuted because of her legal right to abortion.

The defense contended that Basoria punched herself while Flores was stepping on her, making it impossible to tell who killed the twins.
http://www.channel3000.com/news/4577721/detail.html

[smoogatz]

1. Well, there you go.

If she'd had access to RU486, it never woulda happened.

[indepat]

11. Yeah, but this way more criminal behavior can be prosecuted and Rethugs

love that.

[tnlefty]

14. Or a clinic. So many of those have been shut down. I wonder if

any parental notification played into this. I guess the "lifers" will be thrilled that a 19 yr. old is getting life.

[Straight Shooter]

2. Sorry, but do we really want those genes passed on?

Cynical response on my part.

[SteppingRazor]

4. So, so wrong...

Funny! But wrong :)

[SteppingRazor]

3. Gah!

This is _gruesome_. Not to mention the woman could easily have hemmhoraged and died.

If the cops really wanted to prosecute the guy, though, they could easily have prosecuted him for assault. This fetal protection law is bogus.

[theboss]

5. Eegads

Can't say I'm terribly upset that this jagoff is in jail.

However....life? Yikes.

[donsu]

13. well they have to keep the private prisons full so the prisoners can

do the slave work for the corps. (an article about this was posted a few days ago.)

[southernleftylady]

6. and if they outlaw abortion this will be happening all the time... and

worse I'm sure

[rkc3]

16. If they outlaw abortion, coat hangers and bleach will soon follow.

[Goldeneye]

7. There's a poll to vote in.

I was just at Freeper Land and they have a post to "freep" it. So, it wouldn't hurt to DU it.

[maxsolomon]

8. lets say he gets life for this

he's 19. he lives to 79. 60 years. i have no clue what it costs per inmate per year in texas prisons, but let's say, 50k.

why is it worth 3 million dollars to the citizens of texas to punish this kid for doing what has been done to end pregnancies from time immemorial?

this is a fucked up country.

[BattyDem]

9. Technically ...

Wouldn't this open the door to prosecuting doctors? After all, when a woman goes to a doctor for an abortion, she is asking that doctor to help her end her pregnancy. She has a legal right to an abortion, but the doctor (or anyone) doesn't have a legal right to kill a fetus, even with the woman's consent - at least, that's what this law/verdict seems to be saying.

This can't be a good thing for reproductive rights. :-(

[comsymp]

10. And one more step in undermining Roe....

Establishing precedent, one case at a time~

ON EDIT: BattyDem, GMTA.

[jojo54]

12. Here's anothe angle....

Why should the boy be any more responsible than the girl? The babies were in HER uterus, right? She should be prosecuted right along with the boyfriend.

[philosophie_en_rose]

15. She should not be prosecuted, but he should.

It's morally criminal that these two had to resort to such an idiotic abortion method. She had every right to end the pregnancy. Did he have the right to perform a medical procedure?

If he's guilty of anything, he's guilty of practicing medicine without a license. That shouldn't be a life sentence.

The Theocrats are trying to build a case against doctors.

[Snotcicles]

17. Anybody interested in going in on a

U-Haul Franchise with me in Texas?

[MemphisTiger]

18. In Texas he's lucky he didn't get the death penalty

Isn't it standard for shoplifing down there?

[dogday]

19. The Administration can expect this type of behavior as long as

they continue to attach stigma to the procedure and try to end abortion rights.

[RaleighNCDUer]

20. And this is with abortion being legal.

Just wait till this kind of thing is the only option available.