Texas State House Could Vote Soon on Bill to Lower Penalties for Infanticide

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
April 29, 2009

Austin, TX (LifeNews.com) -- When the Supreme Court handed down the Roe v. Wade decision that allowed virtually unlimited abortions, pro-life advocates said it would lead to a slippery slope. In Texas, legislators could slide down that slope when they vote on a bill that would lower the penalty for some mothers who engage in infanticide.

HB 3318 would reduce the crime of infanticide from capital murder to a state jail felony and the measure could receive a vote soon in the Texas House of Representatives.

The bill is now eligible to be scheduled on the House calendar since the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee recently approved it.

Jonathan Saenz, director of legislative affairs at Free Market Foundation, who testified against the bill during the committee hearing, told LifeNews.com that Texans need to contact their lawmakers to oppose HB 3318.

“We already have incomplete protection for unborn children, and the assault, under this bill, will now extend to babies once they're born by giving them less protection,” he said.

“We strongly oppose this bill and urge the Texas House leadership, both Republican and Democrat, to publicly condemn this outrageous legislation and stop it in its tracks," Saenz added.

LINK