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Man who stabbed pregnant woman won’t be prosecuted for death of her unborn baby

A man who stabbed a pregnant woman multiple times in Belgium will not be prosecuted for the death of her unborn baby.

On Monday, in the Belgian province of Liège, a man, named only as Aslan, stabbed a woman numerous times in the face and neck after an argument broke out. The mother is currently in hospital in intensive care, but her unborn baby did not survive.

The man has been arrested and charged with attempted murder but prosecutors say no charge can be brought for the death of the unborn baby because the baby was not yet recognised as a person under Belgian criminal law.

“A choice we make”

Criminal lawyer Rik Vanreusel told the BBC that in Belgium a baby in his or her mother’s womb does not exist as a legal entity. This means that if someone were to harm or kill an unborn child, intentionally or not, there are no grounds for prosecution.

He said this legal principle about unborn babies was “a choice we make” and noted that abortion was one reason why the law was structured in this way.

Right To Life UK spokesperson, Catherine Robinson, said: “It is unsurprising that a society that values abortion cannot, at the same time, value the life of the child who dies through an assault on his or her mother”.

“Belgium’s law, callous as it is, is at least consistent. It accords no status to the life of the unborn child whose life can be ended legally or illegally without any means to prosecute those who are responsible. If only the law was instead consistent in its regard for life in and outside the womb”.

Dear reader,

On Friday 29 November, MPs narrowly voted to support Kim Leadbeater’s dangerous assisted suicide Bill at Second Reading.

But this is only the first step - there’s still time to stop it.

An analysis published in The Independent shows that at least 36 MPs who supported the Bill made it clear they did so only to allow further debate or because they had concerns that mean they won’t commit to supporting the Bill at Third Reading.

With the vote passing by a margin of 55, just 28 MPs switching their stance to oppose the Bill would ensure it is defeated at Third Reading.

With more awareness of the serious risks, many MPs could change their position.

If enough do, we can defeat this Bill at its Third Reading and stop it from becoming law.

You can make a difference right now by contacting your MP to vote NO at Third Reading. It only takes 30 seconds using our easy-to-use tool, which you can access by clicking the button below.