by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
September 14, 2009
Charlotte, NC (LifeNews.com) -- A pregnant 15-year-old girl was shot and killed Monday morning while at a bus stop waiting for the school bus. Tiffany Wright was 32 weeks pregnant at the time and her unborn baby girl is reportedly in critical condition at a local hospital following the shooting.
Doctors at the Carolinas Medical Center delivered the baby three hours after the shooting took place.
According to a Charlotte Observer report, Wright was an 11th-grader at Hawthorne High School, which offers a special program for pregnant moms and teen girls with newborns.
Police told the newspaper on this afternoon that they believe the shooting was the result of a domestic dispute and that Wright was found in the street shot in the head at the time officials arrived.
WBTV has more on the story and indicates Wright's grandmother walked her to the bus stop and returned to it after getting her a glass of water and found Wright dead.
Ashelee Barber, a niece of Tiffany Wright's foster mother, said the teen had a positive outlook on life despite her pregnancy and was excited about the baby.
"She was just a very sweet girl," said Barber to the newspaper. "I assume she was going through a lot of stuff. When people go through tough times, they sometimes develop hateful feelings, but she wasn't that way."
North Carolina, unlike 36 other states, does not have a law on the books allowing prosecutors to charge defendants with killing or injuring the unborn child when they attack a pregnant woman.
Although the culprit may serve jail time for the death of or injury to the mother, there is no punishment and no justice for the crime committed against the baby.
Pro-life advocates tried to get the legislature to approve HB 890, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, last session.
Police are still looking for a suspect in the shooting and anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 704-432-TIPS or Crime Stoppers, 704-334-1600.
Related web sites:
North Carolina Legislature - http://www.ncga.state.nc.us
North Carolina Right to Life - http://www.ncrtl.org
