{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/18.2-32.1.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/18.2-32.1.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/18.2-32.1.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/18.2-32.1.html"}],"law_id":62187,"edition_id":1,"section_id":62187,"structure_id":15120,"section_number":"18.2-32.1","catch_line":"Murder of a pregnant woman; penalty","history":"1997, c. 709.","full_text":"The willful and deliberate killing of a pregnant woman without premeditation by one who knows that the woman is pregnant and has the intent to cause the involuntary termination of the woman’s pregnancy without a live birth shall be punished by a term of imprisonment of not less than ten years nor more than forty years.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":226824,"text":"The willful and deliberate killing of a pregnant woman without premeditation by one who knows that the woman is pregnant and has the intent to cause the involuntary termination of the woman’s pregnancy without a live birth shall be punished by a term of imprisonment of not less than ten years nor more than forty years.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":15120,"edition_id":1,"name":"Homicide","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13100,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:52:17","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:52:17","permalink":{"id":164765,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15120,"identifier":"1","token":"18.2\/4\/1","url":"\/18.2\/4\/1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13100,"edition_id":1,"name":"Crimes Against the Person","identifier":"4","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12972,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:17","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:17","permalink":{"id":164763,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13100,"identifier":"4","token":"18.2\/4","url":"\/18.2\/4\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12972,"edition_id":1,"name":"Crimes and Offenses Generally","identifier":"18.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:05","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:05","permalink":{"id":164139,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12972,"identifier":"18.2","token":"18.2","url":"\/18.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":77418,"structure_id":15120,"section_number":"18.2-30","catch_line":"Murder and manslaughter declared felonies","url":"\/18.2-30\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-30","metadata":false},{"id":79946,"structure_id":15120,"section_number":"18.2-31","catch_line":"Aggravated murder defined; punishment","url":"\/18.2-31\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-31","metadata":false},{"id":57602,"structure_id":15120,"section_number":"18.2-32","catch_line":"First and second degree murder defined; punishment","url":"\/18.2-32\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-32","metadata":false},{"id":62187,"structure_id":15120,"section_number":"18.2-32.1","catch_line":"Murder of a pregnant woman; penalty","url":"\/18.2-32.1\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-32.1","metadata":false},{"id":79116,"structure_id":15120,"section_number":"18.2-32.2","catch_line":"Killing a fetus; penalty","url":"\/18.2-32.2\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-32.2","metadata":false},{"id":69091,"structure_id":15120,"section_number":"18.2-32.3","catch_line":"Human infant; independent and separate existence","url":"\/18.2-32.3\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-32.3","metadata":false},{"id":80906,"structure_id":15120,"section_number":"18.2-33","catch_line":"Felony homicide defined; punishment","url":"\/18.2-33\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-33","metadata":false},{"id":70125,"structure_id":15120,"section_number":"18.2-34","catch_line":"Reserved","url":"\/18.2-34\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-34","metadata":false},{"id":70478,"structure_id":15120,"section_number":"18.2-35","catch_line":"How voluntary manslaughter punished","url":"\/18.2-35\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-35","metadata":false},{"id":78426,"structure_id":15120,"section_number":"18.2-36","catch_line":"How involuntary manslaughter punished","url":"\/18.2-36\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-36","metadata":false},{"id":67930,"structure_id":15120,"section_number":"18.2-36.1","catch_line":"Certain conduct punishable as involuntary manslaughter","url":"\/18.2-36.1\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-36.1","metadata":false},{"id":71288,"structure_id":15120,"section_number":"18.2-36.2","catch_line":"Involuntary manslaughter; operating a watercraft while under the influence; penalties","url":"\/18.2-36.2\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-36.2","metadata":false},{"id":66815,"structure_id":15120,"section_number":"18.2-36.3","catch_line":"Involuntary manslaughter; certain drug offenses","url":"\/18.2-36.3\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-36.3","metadata":false},{"id":86725,"structure_id":15120,"section_number":"18.2-37","catch_line":"How and where homicide prosecuted and punished if death occur without the Commonwealth","url":"\/18.2-37\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-37","metadata":false},{"id":60034,"structure_id":15120,"section_number":"18.2-37.1","catch_line":"Certain matters not to constitute defenses","url":"\/18.2-37.1\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-37.1","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":57602,"structure_id":15120,"section_number":"18.2-32","catch_line":"First and second degree murder defined; punishment","url":"\/18.2-32\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-32","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":79116,"structure_id":15120,"section_number":"18.2-32.2","catch_line":"Killing a fetus; penalty","url":"\/18.2-32.2\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-32.2","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/18.2-32.1\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1997. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 709<\/a> of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year.<\/p>","references":[{"id":80246,"section_number":"17.1-805","catch_line":"Adoption of initial discretionary sentencing guideline midpoints","order_by":null,"url":"\/17.1-805\/"},{"id":77889,"section_number":"18.2-50.3","catch_line":"Enticing, etc., another into a dwelling house with intent to commit certain felonies; penalty","order_by":null,"url":"\/18.2-50.3\/"},{"id":68291,"section_number":"18.2-513","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/18.2-513\/"},{"id":61280,"section_number":"19.2-392.02","catch_line":"National criminal background checks by businesses and organizations regarding employees or volunteers providing care to children or the elderly or disabled","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-392.02\/"},{"id":63586,"section_number":"53.1-202.3","catch_line":"Rate at which sentence credits may be earned; prerequisites","order_by":null,"url":"\/53.1-202.3\/"},{"id":58640,"section_number":"53.1-40.02","catch_line":"Conditional release of terminally ill prisoners","order_by":null,"url":"\/53.1-40.02\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":164779,"object_type":"law","relational_id":62187,"identifier":"18.2-32.1","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-32.1","url":"\/18.2-32.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/18.2-32.1\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-32.1","dublin_core":{"Title":"Murder of a pregnant woman; penalty","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 18.2-32.1","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

The willful and deliberate killing of a pregnant woman without premeditation by one who knows that the woman is pregnant and has the intent<\/span> to cause the involuntary termination of the woman’s pregnancy without a live birth shall be punished by a term of imprisonment of not less than ten years nor more than forty years.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nMURDER OF A PREGNANT WOMAN; PENALTY (\u00a7 18.2-32.1)\n\nThe willful and deliberate killing of a pregnant woman without premeditation by\none who knows that the woman is pregnant and has the intent to cause the\ninvoluntary termination of the woman’s pregnancy without a live birth\nshall be punished by a term of imprisonment of not less than ten years nor more\nthan forty years.\n\nHISTORY: 1997, c. 709.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}