The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Vermont bill classifies an unborn child as a person in criminal offenses involving bodily injury or death
Last action · March 13, 2025: Read 1st time & referred to Committee on JudiciarySponsors: Terry Williams and 2 others
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What This Bill Would Do
Vermont S.116 establishes that an is considered a person under state criminal laws when injured or killed by a criminal offense, while explicitly exempting the pregnant woman, consensual abortions, and medical treatments.
This measure alters criminal liability by allowing prosecutors to bring charges for harm or death to an without needing to prove the offender knew the mother was pregnant or intended to harm the fetus.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
pregnant women
The bill protects the right to carry a child to term while exempting them from prosecution for actions regarding their unborn child.
criminal offenders
Offenders can be prosecuted for bodily injury or death caused to an unborn child without proof of intent or knowledge of pregnancy.
Key Facts
- An unborn child is defined as the offspring of human beings prior to birth.
- The unborn child is deemed a person for state criminal offenses when suffering bodily injury or death as a result of a crime.
- Prosecution does not require the State to prove the offender knew the mother was pregnant.
- Prosecution does not require the State to prove the offender intended to cause injury or death to the unborn child.
Show all 9 facts
- The law prohibits the prosecution of a woman for actions with respect to her unborn child.
- The law prohibits prosecution for conduct relating to an abortion with the pregnant woman's consent.
- The law prohibits prosecution for any medical treatment of the pregnant woman or her unborn child.
- The General Assembly may appoint cosponsors to intervene in any case challenging the act's constitutionality.
- The act takes effect upon passage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a pregnant woman be prosecuted under this bill for her own actions?
Does the State need to prove that an offender knew the victim was pregnant?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
1 action- Mar 13, 2025SenateIntroducedRead 1st time & referred to Committee on Judiciary
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
legislature.vermont.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy85Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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