RICHMOND, Va – A senate committee voted down a bill sponsored by Harrisonburg Senator Mark Obenshain that would have made killing the fetus of another person a Class 5 felony charge of involuntary manslaughter.

The measure, commonly referred to as “Caleb’s Bill,” stemmed from Taylor Shifflett, who was six months pregnant when her vehicle was struck by a drunk driver, who was traveling over 90 miles an hour. The Elkton resident survived the crash, but the unborn child did not.

An emotional Shifflett told the Judiciary Committee on Monday that this bill is a women’s rights movement and explained that she made a choice to have her baby while someone made a choice that eradicated that.

Despite the plea, the Democratic-controlled committee defeated the measure on a party-line 9-6 vote.