SW News: In the case of Commonwealth v. Ronchi, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in the United States decided on February 14 that "viable unborn infants" who die as a consequence of the murder of their mother have the same "personhood rights" as those who are born alive.

For the 2009 slayings of his pregnant girlfriend and the fetus she was carrying, Peter Ronchi was found guilty of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences in prison as a consequence. The case claims that Ronchi brought the matter before the court, contending that judges shouldn't have the authority to determine "when, if ever, a fetus attains personhood for the purposes of the law of homicide."

However, Ronchi reportedly contended that he should not be found guilty of first-degree murder since his actions did not directly cause the death of the unborn child but rather the blood loss of the mother.

Nevertheless, the judges reached the opposite conclusion, saying, "The defendant perpetrated an act of violence against a lady who was nine months pregnant, repeatedly stabbing her." He killed the mother, and therefore the fetus' chances of survival, by severing its connection to the mother's life-sustaining blood.

After Roe v. Wade, a petition to release the unborn child of a female prisoner was presented, and a Florida appeals court would decide on this matter. This was done on the grounds of personhood rights. The urgent appeal was lodged last week by 24-year-old Natalia Harrell and her unborn baby. The petition claims that while the defendant has been imprisoned, Harrell's unborn child, who is eight months old, has not gotten prenatal care. Harrell shot a mother of three in July, as the petition stated.