Unborn Victims of Violence

The Unborn Victims of Violence Act, codified in 2004 by President George W. Bush, is a United States Law which recognizes a "child in utero" as a legal victim, if he or she is injured or killed during the commission of any of over 60 listed federal crimes of violence. The law defines "child in utero" as "a member of the species Homo sapiens, at any stage of development, who is carried in the womb". This law thus stipulates that if a pregnant woman is attacked, and if the woman survives but the infant in the womb dies, then the attacker is guilty with murder just as if the mother had been killed.  Although this is Federal criminal law, due to principles of Federalism present in the United States of America Constitution, Federal criminal law cannot apply to crimes prosecuted by the individual states. However, 36 states also recognize the fetus or "unborn child" as a crime victim, at least for purposes of homicide or feticide. Thus the infant, commonly referred to as a "fetus" would now seem to have gained "personhood". However, the law makes explicit exceptions for abortions, stating that the law would not  "be construed to permit the prosecution" "of any person for conduct relating to an abortion for which the consent of the pregnant woman, or a person authorized by law to act on her behalf", "of any person for any medical treatment of the pregnant woman or her unborn child" or "of any woman with respect to her unborn child."   This seems to be contradiction if the law explicitly states that the fetus is a member of the species Homo sapiens and is thus a human, which would grant it "personhood". Some people stipulate that this legal language might trigger the "collapse" clause of Roe v. Wade, which established abortions to be legal in the United States.

Here is a link to the actual text of the law: UVV Act Text

Also, here is an instructional dialogue on the law by Father Stan Fortuna OFM Cap., a Catholic priest and rapper!: Stan Fortuna (to listen to audio files on this blog you will need to download Spotify, a useful and awesome program!)

Welcome

Welcome to my blog! The main goal of this site is to raise awareness of bioethical issues present in our society today and to provide a place of discussion for individuals who have an interest in the field. For those of you who are new to the field, here is an overview:

What is Bioethics?

Bioethics is the study of controversial ethics brought about by advances in biology and medicine.

What are bioethicists concerned with?

Bioethicists are concerned with the ethical questions that arise in the relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, law, religion, and philosophy.

What are some of the main issues within the bioethical field?

Bioethics addresses a wide range of medical and scientific issues, some of the most prominent being the boundaries of life (abortion, euthanasia), surrogacy, the allocation of scarce health care resources (organ donation, health care rationing), and the right to refuse medical care for cultural and religious reasons. 

How much does religion influence bioethics?

While there is no doubt that religion plays a key role in shaping different views on the various bioethical issues (e.g. I will be focusing mainly on the Catholic viewpoint), there are some basic principles that all bioethicists agree on regardless of religion. 

What are the basic bioethical values/principles?

The National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research identifies in its Belmont Report (1979) the basic ethical principles that should underlie the conduct of all biomedical and behavioral research involving human beings, including autonomy, beneficence and justice. Additional principles have been added to the list, such as non-maleficence, human dignity, and the sanctity of life.

Why should I care about bioethics?

Today biomedical and biotechnological advances are being made faster than ever before, with the goal of the betterment of society in mind. There is so much more that can be done nowadays thanks to biology. However, just because a biological practice can be done does not mean that it is the ethical or right thing to do. Without studying the ethics behind different biological practices and without establishing a ethical code for biological procedure, it will become increasingly difficult to practice biology ethically in the future. This is an issue that touches us all, whether we are doctors, surgeons, nurse practitioners, fathers, mothers, or students and is thus of prime importance. 

I hope now that you see what a wide scope of study bioethics covers and why it is of such interest. I hope that you will join the blog, keep up to date with the posts, and will participate in the discussion. Please sign up to receive updates, newsletters, media, and alerts. 

Again welcome!

Matthew Laird