Leftwich's 'Scum Of The Earth' Bill OK'd

The Senate on Thursday voted in favor of strengthening penalties for assaulting pregnant women by its approval of Senator Debbe Leftwich's "Scum Of The Earth" bill and it now goes to Governor Henry's desk.

The bill will allow felony charges to be filed against a person who assaults a woman and causes her to miscarry.

Noting that domestic violence is the number one cause of death among pregnant women, Leftwich said the state has a moral and legal responsibility to address the problem.

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Senate OKs 'Scum Of The Earth Bill'

The Senate today approved the “Scum of the Earth Bill” which strenghtens the penalties for assaults on pregnant women. Senator Debbe Leftwich, D-Oklahoma City, is Senate author of the bill.

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'Scum Of The Earth' Bill Advances In Senate

The Senate Appropriations Committee today appoved a measure to strengthen penalties for assaulting a pregnant woman. House Bill 1897 would allow felony charges to be filed against a person who assaults a woman and causes her to miscarry.

Senate author Debbe Leftwich noted that domestic violence is the number one cause of death for pregnant women and that the state has a responsibility to address this tragic problem.

“Pregnant women are at a substantially greater risk for domestic violence and the statistics are shocking,” said Leftwich, D-Oklahoma City. “It’s our responsibility to do whatever is in our power to put abusers behind bars and keep women safe. This law would provide punishment befitting the crime.”

More than 3,000 pregnant women in Oklahoma are attacked each year – usually by the father of the child. Each year, as many as 324,000 pregnant women in our country are the victims of violent crimes at the hands of their husbands or partners, Leftwich said.

Under the measure known as the “Scum of the Earth” bill, a person convicted of beating a woman the attacker knew to be pregnant could be charged with a misdemeanor and face up to one year in jail. If convicted of a second offense, an offender would be guilty of a felony and face up to ten years in prison.

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Hamilton's 'Scum of the Earth Bill' Advances

State lawmakers voted today for the "Scum of the Earth Bill" that would increase the punishment for individuals who assault pregnant women.

House Bill 1897, by Rep. Rebecca Hamilton, would allow felony charges to be pursued against anyone who beats a woman and causes her to miscarry.

"I have called this my 'Scum of the Earth Bill' for obvious reasons," said Hamilton, D-Oklahoma City. "The number one cause of death for pregnant women is murder, usually at the hands of the father of the baby. Under current law, we will file murder charges once a woman and her baby are dead, but I want to stop the violence before it gets that far. House Bill 1897 allows the state to intervene earlier, before two people die horrible and needless deaths."

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'Scum Of The Earth' Bill Advances

Legislation increasing the penalty for battering pregnant women, known informally as the "Scum of the Earth" Bill, has passed out of a House subcommittee.

"A society that tolerates people who beat up pregnant women has serious problems and I'm glad my colleagues agree," said Rep. Rebecca Hamilton, D-Oklahoma City. "We must end the plague of violence against women and this bill is an important step in that process."

House Bill 1897, by Hamilton, would make physical abuse of a pregnant woman a felony. Under the bill, anyone convicted of beating a pregnant woman would face a minimum sentence of three years in prison. Anyone attacking a pregnant woman in an attempt to cause a miscarriage would face a minimum sentence of five years in prison, and abusers convicted multiple times would face at least 10 years in prison.

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