By Scott Harvey
Van – District 2 Representative Dan Flynn is calling for the U.S. Army to charge Major Nidal Malik Hasan with taking the life of an unborn child.
Flynn has joined with thirty of his conservative colleges in the Texas Legislature regarding the issue, in light of reports that Private Francheska Velez was pregnant when she was shot and killed by Hasan at Fort Hood on Nov. 5.
Hasan is already charged with thirteen counts of premeditated murder.
Representative Flynn, a member of the Texas Conservative Coalition (TCC), stated: "We were all shocked and appalled at the senseless tragedy that Major Hasan unleashed at Fort Hood. For justice to be fully won, the death of an innocent, unborn child must be reflected in the legal charges against Major Hasan."
The TCC letter cites the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), as amended by the 2004 Unborn Victims of Violence Act. Furthermore, in 2003, the Texas Legislature enacted Senate Bill 319, which provides that a person who commits an offense that results in harm to, or the death of a fetus can be prosecuted in generally the same manner as an offense committed against an individual. The TCC letter, which was signed by 31 members of the Texas Legislature, reads:
"We believe that the murder of Private Velez's unborn child must be prosecuted... Indeed, such action would underscore the fundamental point that unborn children must be afforded the same legal protections against offenses that can be committed against individuals, such as homicide."
Representative Flynn continued: "It is imperative that our laws and system of justice value the life of Private Velez's innocent unborn child just the same as they value the lives of Major Hasan's thirteen other victims." Representative Flynn concluded: "We hope the Army will answer our call to make the charges against Major Hasan fully reflect the extent of his horrific crime."