Indiana could become a battleground state for the debate on killing fetuses.
A bank robber shot a pregnant Indianapolis bank teller during a robbery April 22nd, and she lost her twin fetuses. The alleged gunman, Brian Kendrick, faces four to 16 years in prison if convicted on two counts of killing a fetus -- a penalty that Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi and some state lawmakers say isn't enough.
In Indiana, the law allows prosecutors to file murder charges in the death of a fetus, but only if the mom's at least seven months pregnant. Teller Katherin Shuffield was five months pregnant.
Republican state Senator Jim Merritt of Indianapolis plans to sponsor a bill that would amend the law to cover a fetus at any stage of development.
Conservative groups say such legislation is needed. But abortion rights activists say fetal homicide laws can become a backdoor way to determine that life legally begins at conception.
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