Which statement describes 18.2-32.2?

Which statement describes 18.2-32.2?

• A. Unlawful killing of a fetus with premeditation.
• B. Willful killing of a pregnant woman without premeditation.
• C. Killing the fetus with mother’s consent.
• D. Unlawful, willful, deliberate, malicious and premeditated killing of a fetus is a class 2 felony without premeditation, punishable by 5 to 40 years in prison (killing the fetus—not the mother).

Answer: (D)

Virginia’s fetal-homicide provision treats the deliberate killing of a fetus as a criminal offense distinct from harming the mother. 18.2-32.2 specifies that unlawfully killing a fetus through willful, deliberate, malicious and premeditated actions is a class 2 felony, punishable by 5 to 40 years in prison, and it applies to killing the fetus—not the mother. This wording focuses on the fetus as the victim, separate from the pregnant woman. The other statements try to describe outcomes that involve the mother, consent, or a different phrasing that doesn’t align with the statute’s emphasis on the fetus as the target, so they don’t fit as the description of 18.2-32.2.

Virginia’s fetal-homicide provision treats the deliberate killing of a fetus as a criminal offense distinct from harming the mother. 18.2-32.2 specifies that unlawfully killing a fetus through willful, deliberate, malicious and premeditated actions is a class 2 felony, punishable by 5 to 40 years in prison, and it applies to killing the fetus—not the mother. This wording focuses on the fetus as the victim, separate from the pregnant woman. The other statements try to describe outcomes that involve the mother, consent, or a different phrasing that doesn’t align with the statute’s emphasis on the fetus as the target, so they don’t fit as the description of 18.2-32.2.