Military Only Charges Hasan With 13 Counts of Murder

The military has charged Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan with 13 counts of premeditated murder. The initial charges do not include one for the death of an unborn child, who was the little-talked-about fourteenth victim. U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command spokesman Chris Grey told a news conference Thursday that additional charges may be filed, which pro-life advocates hope would include one for the baby's death. LifeNews

As Maria Vitale wrote yesterday, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act should apply in this case for three reasons: "the act of violence was committed on federal property . . . the shooting was allegedly done by a member of the military . . . and the violence could be classified as an act of terrorism." Also, under Texas law that took effect in September 2003, the protections of the entire criminal code extend to “an unborn child at every stage of gestation from fertilization until birth. The Obama Administration has a moral obligation to press for prosecution of Hasan under the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. If such a legal path is ignored, it will demonstrate to the world that the President is caving into a pro-abortion lobby who will not recognize the legal rights of any child in the womb—even a child whose mother desperately longs to give birth."