FAMILY OF LACI AND CONNER PETERSON URGE APPROVAL OF UNBORN VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE ACT

WASHINGTON (May 7, 2003)—The family of California murder victims Laci and Conner Peterson are urging congressional passage of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, saying the bill “is very close to our hearts.”  In a letter to the prime sponsors of the bill, Congresswoman Melissa Hart (R-Pa.) and Senator Mike DeWine (R-Ohio), the family requested that the bill be referred to as “Laci and Conner’s Law in their memory.”  The letter, dated May 5, was released by the lawmakers at a Capitol Hill press conference this morning. It was signed by Laci Peterson’s mother, Sharon Rocha; by her husband, Ron Grantski; and by Laci’s four brothers and sisters.  They wrote, “As the family of Laci Peterson and her unborn son, Conner, this bill is very close to our hearts. We have not only lost our future with our daughter and sister, but with our grandson and nephew as well.”  The Unborn Victims of Violence Act would recognize an unborn child as a legal victim when he or she is injured during the commission of a federal crime of violence.  As LifeSite reported earlier the bill is strongly supported by the President.  The National Right to Life Committee notes that the bill has been approved by the House of Representatives twice (in 1999 and 2001), but it has been blocked in the Senate by strong opposition from NARAL, Planned Parenthood,  and other pro-abortion groups—even though the bill explicitly excludes abortion, and even though 26 states already have unborn victims laws for state crimes, none of which have affected abortion.  See the letter on the NRLC website as well as the extensive NRLC collection on the issue:  https://www.nrlc.org/Unborn_Victims/laciandconner.html https://www.nrlc.org/Unborn_victims/index.html   See related LifeSite coverage:  PRESIDENT BUSH CALLS FOR PASSAGE OF UNBORN VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE LEGISLATION https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003/apr/03042803.html U.S. SENATE TO REINTRODUCE UNBORN VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE ACT https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003/may/03050603.html