Family Members of Unborn Victims; Go to Washington to Help Pass Bill.

The Unborn Victims of Violence Act (H.R. 1997) carried the alternative title of "Laci and Conner's Law," at the request of the family of Laci Peterson and her unborn son, Conner, who were killed together in California in December 2002. The State of California is preparing to place Laci's husband, Scott Peterson, on trial for two counts of murder. Sharon Rocha, the mother of Laci and grandmother of Conner, played a key role in enactment of the bill, as did Laci's stepfather, Ron Grantski. Both came to Washington to meet with senators during the days before the Senate took up the bill on March 25, and both were present when President Bush signed the bill on April 1.

At the request of NRLC, members of other families who had lost loved ones, born and unborn, in two-victim crimes also came to Washington to meet with senators and members of the news media. They were:

- Tracy Marciniak Seavers, whose unborn son, Zachariah, was killed in an assault during the ninth month. Zachariah was not recognized as a victim under Wisconsin law at that time (1992), but his mother survived and worked with Wisconsin Right to Life to win successful enactment of a fetal homicide bill in 1998. In testimony before the U.S. House Judiciary Constitution Subcommittee on July 8, 2003, Seavers challenged lawmakers to view a photograph of her cradling the body of her slain son, which is posted on the NRLC website at http://www.nrlc.org/Unborn_victims/index.html. She suggested that those who believe the photograph shows only a single victim should vote for the "single-victim" bill, but those who believe the photo shows two victims should vote for the Unborn Victims of Violence Act.

- Carol and Buford Lyons, whose 18-year-old daughter, Ashley Lyons, and unborn grandson, Landon (fifth month), were murdered in Scott County, Kentucky, on January 7, 2004. A detailed account, "Remember Their Names," appeared in the February edition of NRL News. That article and an ultrasound video of Landon, made only hours before ...