Utah Fetal Homicide Law: Potential Implications for Women's Rights

Question
Hi. I just heard on the news that there is legislation pending (waiting to be signed into law by the governor) in Utah that would basically allow women who miscarry to be charged in the death of their fetus. This is REALLY scary! Some people may say I am overreacting or being dramatic, but isn't it possible that this could lead to ALL women of reproductive age being discriminated against, seeing as how women don't always know they are pregnant? And would this allow employees to discriminate against women as well? This  could be used as an excuse to deny women certain jobs that could be potentially dangerous.  I am trying to gather my thoughts and articulate my feelings, but I can't! I just can't believe it! I am terrified to be honest. What does this mean for women? It seems that this law is punishing women for being women! And of course there are always those folks that say that if a woman doesn't want to get pregnant she shouldn't have sex. But that is not the government's business! I can't imagine a woman being charged and arrested for murder because she chose to drive in unsafe weather conditions or have a drink while pregnant. It's insane! What are some of the other potential consequences of this law for women, and what does it mean(in your opinion) for women's rights? Thank you.

Helena

Answer
Hi Helena :)

Anyone who says you're overreacting is living in ignorance. Unfortunately everything you say is correct. You summed it all up quite nicely, and it's a huge blow to existing as a woman. I'm sure it could mean if a pregnant woman was drinking alcohol in public she could very well face severe consequences (and we won't even touch on how much alcohol is REALLY needed to negatively affect the embryo/fetus). It's a terrifying law, and anyone who thinks it's ever acceptable to police the movement of pregnant women is either sexist or just misogynist. This bill is so disgusting, and if it's signed by the governor, I hope he rots in hell. Unfortunately, there's a lot of people who take abortion rights (what's left of them) for granted, so they don't speak up. And this is what happens. If any good can come, it's that it'll wake women the hell up to what's at stake, and if not, they'll be sorry if they ever have the 1 in 4 pregnancies that naturally end in miscarriage. It will further prevent women with drug abuse problems from seeking help-which is already hard enough to do NOT pregnant. Once again the science will be ignored which indicates that the consequences are not as terrible as they are made out to be. But this is truly horrifying, and more people need to be upset about it.