Dubai Court Convicts Woman of Manslaughter and Orders Payment of Blood Money for Death of Her Own Fetus in Traffic Accident

There is a trend in the United States to treat fetuses as persons for the purpose of criminal charges. That trend was taken to an extraordinary degree in Dubai where a pregnant woman was involved in a traffic accident and had a miscarriage. Finding that she was following to closely and applying Sharia law, the court convicted her of manslaughter and also ordered her to pay “blood money” for the loss of the baby.

Reports indicate that there was various cars involved in the accident but the court found that the woman could have avoid the collision by keeping getter distance. She has been ordered to pay $5,450 in blood money for “unintentional homicide.”

The court and prosecutors insisted that pregnant women should not drive.

Judge Dr Al Mutawa ruled “The court treated the defendant leniently based on Articles 83 and 84 of the Federal Penal Code no 3, of 1987. According to Sharia, a foetus which dies in a mother’s uterus is entitled to 10 per cent (known as Al Ghurra) of Dh200,000 blood money.”

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