Leeana Newman
ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. -- A lawmaker from Rowan County wants there to be consequences when someone commits a crime that kills an unborn child. The issue hits close to home for state Rep. Fred Steen (R-Rowan) from Landis, N.C.
That’s the same town where a man is accused of driving drunk and causing a wreck that killed a 20-year-old woman and her unborn daughter earlier this month. It was a double tragedy for Leeanna Newman's family since it killed both Newman and her unborn child she had carried for eight months.
According to the law, if the child had not taken one breath of life on her own, criminal charges can't be filed for her death, and that's had people talking.
A lawmaker from Rowan County wants there to be consequences when someone commits a crime that kills an unborn child.
“I really do think people should be charged. If the girl was in the wreck and she was pregnant and she was eight months pregnant, I mean, that's only one month away. That baby could have been born,” said local resident LauraBeth Mull.
Rep. Steen says he is sponsoring a bill that would allow charges to be filed for the death of a fetus when a crime is committed.
“I think people are waking up and saying we need to make a change here. This is something that we need to protect the unborn child which is the innocent victim of this crime,” said Steen.
Rigo Martinez is charged with second-degree murder for Newman’s death, but he won’t be charged for the baby's death unless medical records prove the baby lived – even for just a moment – on her own.
Newman and her unborn child were killed in this wreck earlier this month.
Not every state has a law protecting unborn fetuses, and in the states that do have laws, the laws vary. In Oklahoma, the law protects the fetus after six months of gestation. In Arkansas, the law applies after three months of gestation, and in California, the law protects unborn fetuses after just seven weeks of gestation.
“My opinion and a lot of my constituents' opinion is if California can have this type of law, we need to have it in North Carolina, as well,” said Steen.
He adds that this tragedy in Landis is just one example of why the law should be in place. The wreck has also fueled discussion about immigration reform.
Martinez had been arrested in Rowan County under at least six different aliases, had served time in North Carolina's prison system, and had been deported to Mexico twice before.
Law enforcement officers say Martinez's case proves that deportation after criminal conviction can only work if the borders are secure.