MODESTO, April 22, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Scott Peterson murder case has become a pro-life issue and a great embarrassment to feminist pro-abortion groups like the National Organization of Women (NOW). As California police charged Peterson with two counts of first-degree murder—one for the murder of his wife, Laci, and a second for the death of her eight-month unborn child, networks across the U.S. are referring to the baby—whom the parents had already decided to name “Connor”—as Laci’s “unborn child.” The second murder count is based on a California law that, as in 23 other states, protects “viable fetuses” that are not aborted by their own mother. Commentator Rush Limbaugh pointed out that “What [pro-abortion] liberals would ordinarily call an ‘unviable tissue mass’ in the womb has been humanized.” So confusing is the issue for feminists that NOW felt obliged to apologize to the family for an outburst earlier this week from its Morris County chapter president, Mavra Stark, who criticized the double-murder charge as dangerous. Canadian media were quick to point out that a fetus is not a person in Canadian law. Lawyer Morris Manning was quoted saying, “There could potentially be a civil suit against a third party for injuries to a fetus, but there can be no criminal charge. … We [in Canada] consider charges involving the killing of the mother to be sufficient.”
For Canadian coverage: https://www.globeandmail.ca/servlet/story/RTGAM.20030422.ulaci0422/BNStory/International/
For Limbaugh’s commentary with a related unborn baby story: https://rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_042103/content/cutting_edge.guest.html
For NOW’s Mavra Stark’s comments and partial apology: https://www.dailyrecord.com/news/03/04/22/news2-lacifolo.htm