| Sharon Rocha and Ron Grantski, the parents of murdered expectant mother Laci Peterson, look on as U.S. President George W. Bush make remarks at an event where he signed into effect the 'Unborn Victims of Violence' Act, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, April 1, 2004. President Bush today signed into effect the new law, dubbed Laci and Conner's law, which makes killing a fetus a federal crime. California murder victim Laci Peterson was eight months pregnant when she disappeared in December 2002 in a highly publicized case. Supporters of the bill named it after Peterson and her unborn child, Conner. |
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| May God Bless LACI & CONNER & Laci's Family |
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| Laci Peterson's mother and stepfather have the uncommon power to move politicians.The question now is how they might deploy that power in the future. Because for Sharon Rocha and Ron Grantski, and President Bush's recent signing of a fetal homicide law they backed -- has brought the Modesto couple to a personal crossroads. |
| "Our lives have definitely changed," Grantski said Friday. "People go, 'That will never happen to us.' Well, we're now 'us.' Your perspective on things changes tremendously. "Whether we are going to do something more, I can't imagine us not doing something." |
| Couple pushed for legislation
Rocha and Grantski showed their clout on Capitol Hill, where their advocacy for "Laci and Conner's law" helped defeat resistance over giving fetuses status as victims. The law, officially the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, makes killing or injuring a fetus in the midst of a federal crime a separate offense. That would cover, for example, an assault on a pregnant woman in a national park. California already has such a law, which is why Peterson is charged with two murders. Seeing the federal government enact a similar law "was an important thing for Sharon," Grantski said. "This was something she had to fight for. I was there to back her up." Politically, the couple has learned a lot. Grantski said he was encouraged by the willingness of politicians to hear their case and act on it, but was disenchanted with Capitol Hill horse trading. "It's kind of like, I'll do this for you if you do this for me," Grantski said. "Because of those things, it takes weeks or months for things to get passed. Not being a politician, I pretty much told them, 'I don't really care what you think.'" Mother heard in distant states Already, Rocha has reached beyond Capitol Hill. Her impassioned written support helped convince Kentucky state legislators to pass a fetal homicide bill. And she has weighed in West Virginia, where legislators approved a fetal homicide bill, only to have the state's lameduck governor veto the legislation. With similar letters to legislators in Texas and Maryland, Rocha likewise has championed state laws to make killing a fetus a separate crime. Most recently, in a March 13 letter, Rocha urged Virginia Gov. Mark Warner to sign a state bill that would make Virginia the 30th state to have a fetal homicide law. "Two people, Laci and Conner, would be here with us today if they had not been murdered," Rocha wrote Warner. "There were two victims in this crime, not one. The same is true of every such crime, and the law should recognize that." Rocha's letters to various lawmakers use standard phrasing throughout; they are almost interchangeable. Johnson, of the National Right to Life Committee, said one-on-one appeals by family members are particularly potent. That appeal certainly seemed to resonate with federal legislators. "Through our loss, hopefully we were able to make a difference in our country for all of us, and it will also be a memory of Laci for I don't know how long," Grantski said. "I'll bet Laci is up there smiling down on her mom." SEE HOW YOUR REPRESENTATIVE VOTED HOME INDEX LACI LACI'S ALBUM LACI'S FAMILY INDEX |
| LACI & SHARON |
| APRIL 10, 2004 FULL STORY |
| May God Bless LACI & CONNER & Laci's Family |
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