Will the Law See the Second Victim?(unborn rights)

Editor's note. Written by NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson, this op-ed appeared in the Florida Baptist Witness. A shorter version ran earlier in the Miami Herald. This op-ed ran prior to Senate approval of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act and President Bush signing the measure into law.

The two senators from Florida referred to, Bill Nelson and Bob Graham, both voted for the Feinstein single-victim substitute and against the final bill.

Like so many victims of violent crimes, Lisa Dyke and her son, Julius, were just at the wrong place at the wrong time.

January 26, 1993, Lisa, age 18, was with Julius, babysitting at a friend's apartment in Wilton Manors (Broward County). Ronnie Keith Williams - - a convicted knife-murderer, recently released because of prison overcrowding - - came to the door looking for someone who wasn't there. Williams took out his displeasure on Lisa and Julius. He stabbed them a total of 18 times with a 15-inch knife. He also raped Lisa and repeatedly bit her.

Bleeding profusely, Lisa pretended to be dead until Williams left, then managed to call 911. She suffered greatly for 19 days before she died.

The doctors saved Julius' life, but for 11 years he has suffered from profound disabilities resulting from the crime. He is dependent on a respirator and a feeding tube. He cannot walk. He moves his eyes, but does not speak. His grandmother, Margaret Coakley-Dyke, loves Julius dearly and has devoted her life to his care.

Recently, a Broward County jury convicted Williams of the murder of Lisa Dyke. (An earlier conviction was reversed on a technicality.) "Jurors in Williams' trial were not allowed to learn about Julius because he was not legally a victim of the crime and his presence might have prejudiced them," reported the Miami Herald.