A Republican woman legislator in New Mexico has introduced a bill that would criminalize abortions in instances of rape — for "tampering with evidence" — and require victims to carry their pregnancies full term.
House Bill 206, spearheaded by Rep. Cathrynn Brown, would charge a rape victim with a third-degree felony if the woman sought an abortion after a sexual assault, the
Huffington Post reported.
"Tampering with evidence shall include procuring or facilitating an abortion, or compelling or coercing another to obtain an abortion, of a fetus that is the result of criminal sexual penetration or incest with the intent to destroy evidence of the crime," according to the bill introduced on Wednesday.
Conviction carries a sentence of up to three years in prison in New Mexico, according to the new bill.
The chances of the bill passing, however, are slim. Democrats hold a majority in both chambers of New Mexico's state legislature.
Brown said in a statement Thursday that she introduced the bill with the goal of punishing the person who commits incest or rape and then procures or facilitates an abortion to destroy the evidence of the crime.
"New Mexico needs to strengthen its laws to deter sex offenders," said Brown. "By adding this law in New Mexico, we can help to protect women across our state."
But critics everywhere are speaking against the bill's passage.
Pat Davis of ProgressNow New Mexico, a progressive nonprofit, called it "blatantly unconstitutional" on Thursday.
"The bill turns victims of rape and incest into felons and forces them to become incubators of evidence for the state," Davis told the Huffington Post. "According to Republican philosophy, victims who are 'legitimately raped' will now have to carry the fetus to term in order to prove their case."
Donna Crane, policy director for abortion-rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America, also took aim at Brown.
"Any elected official who wants to put criminal liability on survivors of rape or incest is cold-blooded," Crane told ABC News.
© 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.