Abortion Politics Hurt Important Legislation

• By Sen. Rick Santorum
• Special to Roll Call
• March 26, 2004, 1:14 p.m.

In the 31 years since the Roe v. Wade decision, a hardening of opinions on, and a general unwillingness to consider, the rights of unborn children in our society have characterized much of American political discourse. Whether a policy issue has anything to do with Roe or not, anything perceived as even tangentially involving the unborn becomes ensnared in abortion politics. For years this has been the fate of legislation which I proudly co-sponsor: the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. This legislation simply states that if an unborn child is injured or killed during the commission of a federal crime of violence, the assailant can be charged with a separate offense for harm done to the child. By acknowledging a simple, undeniable fact, namely that two persons are harmed when a pregnant woman is attacked or murdered, this legislation has found itself in the middle of America’s abortion debate.