Colo. Woman to Stand Trial For Cutting Baby From Womb As State's Fetal Homicide Bill Falls Flat
A Colorado woman accused of cutting a baby from a stranger's womb will stand trial, a judge determined this week.
A judge ruled this week that Dynel Lane will stand trial for unlawful termination of a pregnancy and attempted murder after she allegedly attacked 26-year-old Michelle Wilkins in Longmont, Colorado after Wilkins responded to a Craigslist advertisement for baby clothes.
Lane reportedly attacked Wilkins over an hour after inviting her into her home to show her used children's clothes. Wilkins survived the attack, but her eight-month-old baby daughter did not.
Although Lane will reportedly stand trial on charges of unlawful termination of a pregnancy and the attempted murder of Lane, she will not stand trial for the murder of the fetus, as Colorado does not have a fetal homicide law. About three dozen states have such a law in place.
The recent decision for Lane to stand trial sparks the continued debate of the rights of fetuses in individual states. This week, Democrats rejected a proposed Republican measure in the state of Colorado that would make fetal homicide a crime. The measure was created in response to the incident involving Wilkins, which took place in March.
Supporters of this week's bill have argued that it would protect women like Wilkins in the future.
"This bill is meant to respond to a tragedy," Mike Norton, a lawyer for the Christian lobbying group Alliance Defending Freedom, said in a statement on Monday, as reported by The Colorado Independent.
"People know that what happened in Longmont was murder."
