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LadyPact -> RE: 12 year old facing life in prison for shooting father's pregnant fiance (3/17/2010 5:53:19 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: barelynangel
LP said something that kept tickling my brain and i finally figured out why -- she said basically, she wanted the same mercy shown him as he showed the unborn child -- or something to that effect.
You know even if he wanted to kill the step-mom, and did so, how can we be sure he understood completely the ramification of killing an unborn child? I mean even in law its fairly new law in some states where if an unborn child dies in the line of a crime its considered murder or manslaughter. How can we be sure a 12 year old even understands the concept of FETUS in terms of life? I mean for many kids until the baby is born they don't really register the concept.
So what if he never thought abuot the unborn child or the ramifications of killing its mother? This is a 12 year old kid. If he as a child had no real concept of the unborn child -- and your majority concept of "punishing him" and mercy being shown him is based upon YOUR understanding of an unborn child as an adult and perhaps a mother, how can you compare the mercy he showed the unborn child and mercy towards him for his actions.
Many people still don't deem the fetus a child, while the laws in some states now do in terms of a homicide or manslaughter, its still very new to the table of law. I am not saying this as an excuse, but with regard to mercy and expecting a 12 year old to fully understand the concept of pregnancy and life?
angel
Like everyone, I'm only pulling My thoughts based on what I'm reading in the news reports. (We agree on that, btw. There are a lot of things not revealed using this method. Not just in regards to high profile cases, but on many other subjects as well.)
I don't know the kid, but mentioned in the article were two different versions of how he may or may not have felt about the unborn child. If either of those versions are true, I tend to believe that he understood the concept. Of course, part of that belief is based on how siblings were taught in My family (Me, My oldest daughter with My first grandchild when expecting the second, etc). I tend to think that's more common than unique. While he may not have been emotionally bonded to the unborn child, I'm sure it was obvious that there was a baby coming.
We do agree on two other things. The first is, no, I sure wouldn't want to be the one sitting on the bench for this one, either. This is going to be a shitstorm (excuse My language, but it's a fitting term) for whoever has this case. It wouldn't surprise Me if this became a circus.
The second is, no, this doesn't provide additional material (I hope) for the abortion debate. At eight and a half months pregnant, that is a viable fetus, and the charge of two counts, rather than one, is completely appropriate.
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