An act relating to crimes against an unborn child

Vermont's S.116 would define an unborn child as a "person" under criminal law when bodily injury or death results from a crime, allowing prosecutors to charge perpetrators without proving they knew about the pregnancy or intended harm to the fetus. This directly affects individuals who commit crimes (like assault or homicide) causing fetal harm, while explicitly protecting pregnant women from prosecution for their own actions and legal medical procedures like abortions with consent. The bill adds a new section to Vermont law clarifying that an unborn child is deemed a person for criminal offenses involving injury or death, but excludes abortion and medical treatments from prosecution. It aims to resolve inconsistencies in past court rulings about fetal personhood under criminal statutes.