Idaho County Prosecutor Pushes for Legal Protection of Human Fetus (9/04)

IDAHO COUNTY PROSECUTOR PUSHES FOR LEGAL PROTECTION OF FETUSES – To protect unborn babies from drug addicted mothers, Bannock Co. Prosecutor Hiedeman wants Idaho law amended at the January 2005 legislative session to include fetuses under the definition of children. According to the state’s current injury to a child statute, a child is simply defined as a person under the age of 18. “Legislators need to define what a child is,” Hiedeman said. He added that South Carolina is the only state to successfully prosecute a mother for endangering her unborn baby with drugs.  Van Valkenburgh, ACLU of Idaho, said prosecuting mothers who have addiction problems will discourage them from seeking prenatal care. Hiedeman disagrees. He said women who abuse drugs aren’t likely to see a doctor anyway. [Casey Santee, Idaho State Journal, 23 Sep 2004 Pro-Life E-News http://www.journalnet.com/articles/2004/09/22/news/local/news09.txt]