Politics
Wednesday August 1, 2007
Louisiana Woman Arrested for Narcotic "Distribution" to Unborn Child
TODAY'S HEADLINES
E-MAIL
PRINT
By Peter J. Smith
OUACHITA, Louisiana, August 1, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Authorities arrested and charged a Louisiana woman yesterday for taking illegal narcotics that harmed her unborn child reports the Louisiana Gannett News.
The case is particularly interesting to pro-life advocates since justice will depend on whether state courts will recognize the newborn daughter of Rebecca Thompson, 26, as a person before birth, the period when the crime occurred.
Sheriff's deputies charged Thompson on one count each of distribution of cocaine to a person under age 18 and second-degree cruelty to a juvenile. Deputies booked Thompson into the Ouachita Correctional Center after discovering that Thompson's newborn was dangerously underweight and had tested positive for illegal drugs.
Thompson, a mother of four other children, gave birth to a three-pound baby girl July 19 at the Glenwood Regional Medical Center in West Monroe. She admitted to using cocaine and marijuana while pregnant after her daughter dropped another dangerous half pound in weight.
Deputies filed the distribution charges against Thompson on the basis that a baby is considered to be a juvenile even before birth.
"Basically, you're still distributing it to a person under 18 even though some states will consider whether the fetus is a person or not," said Capt. David Harris. "We're going to let the courts decide that."
Prosecuting harm to unborn babies in the United States is complicated due to judicial protections of abortion-on-demand and the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which ruled that unborn children were not persons guaranteed equal rights under the 14th Amendment. The addition of unborn victims of violence laws, however, creates an apparent contradiction, forcing the courts to play a game of juggling over when an unborn child can be treated as a person.
Other similar cases include a case from nearby Alabama, where the Court of Civil Appeals ruled in June 2006 that a woman could sue a Birmingham abortion provider for damages over injuries suffered by her unborn child during a failed abortion attempt. However, Hawaii's Supreme Court ruled in December 2005 that Tayshea Aiwohi, 32, was not guilty of manslaughter for smoking crystal methamphetamine on the day of his birth, leading to his death two days later.
See related coverage by LifeSiteNews.com:
Crystal Meth. User not Guilty of Manslaughter of Unborn Son
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/dec/05120206.html
U.S. Appeals Court Allows Child to Sue Over Failed Abortion
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jun/06060504.html
Back to TopLatest Headlines
- US Congress Passes Health Care Reform Bill 220 - 215
- Stupak Amendment to Health Care Bill Passes 240 - 194 Saturday Evening
- NY Times: Dems Banking on Later Squeezing Pro-Life Language Out of Bill in Committee
- USCCB Spokesman: "Definitely Not True" that Bishops Support Bill As it Stands
- TIME Got it Wrong - Prof. George Opposed Grandiose Kennedy Funeral
- Major Health Care Development - Pro-Life Stupak Amendment Vote OK'd for Saturday
- USCCB Condemnation Tears Facade off "Phony" Abortion Compromise for Health Bill
- Health Care Bill Includes Monthly Abortion Premium: House Minority Leader Boehner
- TIME Article Setting Burke Against O'Malley Called "Tactical strike" on Behalf of Catholic Left
- Dirty Fighting on Abortion Funding: Word-Games and Health-Care Theatrics Boggle the Mind
- Commentary on November 6 News
- Note to LifeSiteNews Subscribers with Rogers email addresses
- New York Gov. Declares Nov. 10 Extraordinary Legislative Session for Same-Sex "Marriage"
- Washington's Pro-Family Amendment Effort Defeated - R-71 Almost Certain to Pass
- Vote Pushed Back on Canadian Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide Bill to Dec. 2
- Elderly U.K. Couple in Good Health Commit Suicide, Complain of Assisted Suicide Law
- Texas Late-Term Abortionist and Baptist Minister Admits: "Am I killing? Yes, I am"
- New Evidence Contradicts CCHD's Findings on Accused Pro-Abortion Partner
- Quebec Priest Denies Possibility of Sexual Reorientation Therapy on TV
- New Hampshire Same-Sex "Marriage" Law in Crosshairs after Maine's Law Crumbles
- Brooklyn Bishop Criticized for Recorded Message Praising Pro-Abortion Politician
- First Group of "Traditionalist" Anglicans in Britain Votes to Enter Catholic Church
Most Read this Week
- Planned Parenthood Director Resigns after Watching Ultrasound of Abortion Procedure
- Nun Defiant Following Rebuke, but Stops Abortion Escorting
- Breaking: Dominican Community Apologizes for Nun Caught Acting as Abortion Escort
- TIME Article Setting Burke Against O'Malley Called "Tactical strike" on Behalf of Catholics Left
- Over 200 Christendom College Students Protest Abortion at Planned Parenthood Clinic
- US Congress Passes Health Care Reform Bill 218 to 215
- Newly Identified Corporate Supporters of Planned Parenthood Named
- Scottish Gay Rights Activists Found Guilty of Pedophilia Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
- Major Health Care Bill Development - Stupak Hyde Amendment Vote OK'd
- Health Care Bill Includes Monthly Abortion Premium: House Minority Leader Boehner
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.