Austin, Texas, May 6, 2009 / 19:55 pm
A Texas bill proposing to reduce significantly the penalty for the murder of young infants by their mothers conveys the message that newborns and infants are "less valuable people," a Texas pro-life leader warns.
The introduced version of House Bill 3318 adds the offense of "infanticide" to the Texas penal code. It defines infanticide as a state jail felony "if the person willfully by an act or omission causes the death of a child to whom the person gave birth within the 12-month period preceding the child’s death" and if the person’s judgment was impaired as a result of the effects of giving birth or the effects of lactation following the birth.
After revision by the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, the latest version said the defendant may "raise the issue" whether the defendant’s judgment was impaired by the effects of giving birth or by the effects of lactation.
If such impairment is proven, the offense is categorized as a state jail felony.