Which statement describes 18.2-32.1 in the material?

Which statement describes 18.2-32.1 in the material?

• A. Willful and deliberate killing of a pregnant woman with premeditation.
• B. Willful and deliberate killing of a pregnant woman without premeditation with the intent to kill the fetus, punishable by 10 to 40 years in prison.
• C. Unlawful killing of a fetus with no premeditation.
• D. Manslaughter in the absence of intent to kill a fetus.

Answer: (B)

The important idea is fetal homicide: Virginia code 18.2-32.1 creates a separate offense when a person willfully kills an unborn child in a pregnant woman with the intent to kill the fetus, carrying a punishment of 10 to 40 years in prison. This captures malice toward the fetus and treats its killing as a distinct crime from ordinary homicide of the mother. This option matches because it specifies the offender’s intent to kill the fetus and sets the prison term within the statute’s range, reflecting the fetus-specific crime. The other statements don’t fit: they describe killing the pregnant woman without focusing on the fetus, or describe killing the fetus without the requisite intent to kill the fetus, or describe manslaughter with less or different mens rea.

The important idea is fetal homicide: Virginia code 18.2-32.1 creates a separate offense when a person willfully kills an unborn child in a pregnant woman with the intent to kill the fetus, carrying a punishment of 10 to 40 years in prison. This captures malice toward the fetus and treats its killing as a distinct crime from ordinary homicide of the mother.

This option matches because it specifies the offender’s intent to kill the fetus and sets the prison term within the statute’s range, reflecting the fetus-specific crime. The other statements don’t fit: they describe killing the pregnant woman without focusing on the fetus, or describe killing the fetus without the requisite intent to kill the fetus, or describe manslaughter with less or different mens rea.