Witter urges penalties for killing unborn babies

Public Defender Earl Witter wants the government to change the laws to allow charges to be brought against a person for causing the death of an unborn child.

Witter has written to Justice Minister, Mark Golding, to make his case following the recent killings of at least three pregnant women.

Under Jamaica’s current laws, causing the death of a child while it is in the womb is not considered murder, notes Witter.

He says this is because the common law requires that the murder victim be what is considered ‘a reasonable creature in being’, and a child in the womb is not so regarded.

This situation, Witter says, is untentable and unacceptable and is calling for tough sanctions for such killings.

Witter notes that the United Kingdom has had laws regarding the killing of unborn children since 1929.

editorial@gleanerjm.com