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Unborn Victims Law Heads to Governor HB 215—Unborn Victims of Violence/Ethen’s Law is named for the eight-and-a-half month old unborn son of Jenna Nielson, who were both tragically murdered in Raleigh in July of 2007. Mr. Kevin Blaine, Jenna Nielson’s father and Ethen’s grandfather, was present in the gallery of the House chamber for Tuesday’s concurrence vote, along with Ms. Effie Steele, a Durham resident who also lost her daughter, Ebony Robinson and unborn grandson Elijah, to an act of violence. Although legislation similar to HB 215 has been filed in the General Assembly for nearly two decades, this session was the first time the bill had ever been granted a hearing. The law mirrors the federal Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which allows for perpetrators of violent crimes against pregnant women to be charged for crimes against both victims. While the federal law only applies to federal lands within North Carolina, including the Blue Ridge Parkway and military bases, HB 215 effectively extends that protection to the entire state. If Governor Perdue signs the bill into law or allows it to become law without her signature, North Carolina will be the 36th state to enact an Unborn Victims of Violence Law.Related resources: Copyright © 2012. North Carolina Family Policy Council. All rights reserved.
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