Politics

‘Fractured Skull’ — Man And Woman Allegedly Collaborated To Kill Unborn Daughter

Shutterstock/Oksana Kuzmina

Font Size:

A baby has died after allegedly being struck several times by its father while still in the mother’s womb, according to a report from Bakersfieldnow.com.

The child was delivered with a fractured skull and other “traumatic injuries” according to a search warrant affidavit filed by the Bakersfield Police. Staff at Kern Medical hospital became suspicious of the death when they noticed bruising on the mother’s stomach, although she attributed the bruises to a mopping accident.

When the police arrived and conducted interviews, the mother confessed to reaching an agreement with her boyfriend in which he would beat her in an attempt to end the pregnancy. The boyfriend has denied these claims.

This case has sparked serious debate on both sides as to what legally constitutes a life and whether formal charges can be pursued. Murder charges, however, can be ruled out, as the California state statutes define murder as “the unlawful killing of a human being or a fetus with malice aforethought,” with the exception of circumstances where “the act was solicited, aided and abetted and consented to by the mother of the fetus.”

The Daily Caller reached out to the Pro-Life Action League who had the following to say regarding this story:

“It’s horrifying to think of a man beating up his girlfriend, apparently with her consent, to cause the death of their unborn child. But, shocking as this story is, it isn’t too far off from the violence of every late-term abortion. From the perspective of the unborn child, it matters little whether death comes from a skull fracture or surgical dismemberment.
This story also reveals how legal abortion has coarsened our society, and undermined basic respect for human life. The parents of this poor baby must be held accountable for this act of violence, but our entire society bears responsibility for ending the violence of abortion.
Finally, this story gives the lie to the call for more expansive legal abortion. There is no state in which abortion is more accessible than California. What this story really shows is that we need to rediscover respect for human life in the womb.”

California allows abortion until the 26th week of pregnancy, which is generally considered to be the point at which the fetus is viable, according to The New York Times.  California also allows abortions in circumstances that are considered threatening to the health or life of the mother. The state’s abortion laws are classified as overall “supportive” of the pro-choice cause according to The Guttmacher Institute.

This investigation comes as the Supreme Court narrowly ruled that a California abortion law requiring pro-life centers to inform women about publicly funded abortion and contraceptive services is unconstitutional. (RELATED: CHANGES IN ABORTION LEGISLATION ARE SWEEPING ACROSS THE COUNTRY. HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW)

Follow Chris on Twitter