Thursday, October 11, 2007

Abortion Kidnapping Plea Deal a Miscarriage of Justice (Updated)

Do you remember the Kampf's? No? They were the white couple up in Maine that were so livid that their 19 year old daughter had gotten pregnant by a black South African man that was serving time in prison for receiving stolen property and will be deported back to South Africa when his sentence is completed, that they kidnapped and tied up their pregnant daughter at gunpoint and were driving her to New York State in order to force her to have an abortion. Now does the name ring a bell? Yeah, I thought that might jog your memory. Well the wheels of justice appear to have four flat tires in Maine. The Kampfs have negotiated a plea deal that allows them to serve no jail time at all.
A couple accused of kidnapping their daughter to force her to have an abortion last year have reached a plea agreement in which they will serve no time behind bars, the couple's lawyer said Wednesday.

Nicholas and Lola Kampf have agreed to plead guilty Friday to misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct charges to resolve the case, said Thomas Hallett, Nicholas Kampf's attorney.

Under the agreement, the couple will avoid jail time and the assault charge will be dropped once they complete counseling, Hallett said.

"The reality is this was a family matter from the get-go. We tried to resolve this in the best way possible. It was in the best interest of everyone not to blow this up into a big trial," Hallett said.

But Katelyn Kampf, now 20, is none too happy with the fact that the kidnapping charges have been dropped. She intends to be in the courtroom to voice her extreme displeasure with the deal.
"What I've been looking for is some sort of justice," she said. "Them walking away with a misdemeanor is certainly not that."
But apparently this is all news to the DA's office:
District Attorney Stephanie Anderson didn't return a call from The Associated Press. She told the Portland Press Herald that she was surprised by Katelyn Kampf's remarks because she was involved in the discussions.
Katelyn however describes the kidnapping this way:

Breaking her silence on the ordeal, Katelyn Kampf described a harrowing experience that ensued Sept. 15, 2006, after her parents learned she was pregnant with a mixed-race baby. Kampf is white. Reme Johnson, her boyfriend at the time, is black.

Kampf said her mother referred to the baby she was carrying as a "science project" before the episode unfolded.

"At one point I did make it out the door and I ran down the driveway," she said. "I didn't make it 100 feet. My dad chased me and tackled me in the driveway. I had grass stains all over my clothes. I was screaming for help."

Hallett denied that the Kampfs were racist but said the parents were troubled by the unplanned pregnancy.

Yeah, sure, they call ALL pregnancies "science projects" not just mixed race ones right?

Kampf, who gave birth in January to a son, D'Andre Johnson, said it's hard to imagine reconciliation with her parents.

"Honestly, I don't think that I could ever face my parents again after what we went through. My mom spit in my face, said she wished she never had me, said I'd ruined her life," she said.

She added, however, that their absence represents a "huge loss in my life."

It is a crying shame that this child will be without both a father, and grandparents. Nobody in this ordeal made very wise decisions, but at least Katelyn made the decision to spare the child's life. Of the four adults involved here, she would appear to be the most responsible. The sad part is that the child will be the one to pay that price.

I would suggest that the Portland Maine DA's office needs to be getting a few calls about the appropriateness of this plea deal.

UPDATE:
Jill Stanek has more.

5 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

I wouldn't touch this topic with your ten-foot pole. If I recall correctly, the young lady moved in with her "beau's" mother. So it seems to me that there will be at least one grandparent involved in the baby's life. If she's so unhappy, let her move to South Africa to be with the child's father, once he is deported. I do not condone her parent's behavior. Abortion is always a violatile topic. Her parents were out of line, but I wholeheartedly support abortion rights. If the DA is satisfied with the plea deal, who are WE to interfere?

October 12, 2007 12:05 PM  
Blogger Rorschach said...

Jean, you might not touch this but I most certainly will. I consider ALL abortions murder, ESPECIALLY late second, early third trimester abortions. New Hampshire ALSO considers such late term abortions murder. This child would have likely survived had she miscarried at that time. She was six months pregnant. Did she make a poor decision to become pregnant out of wedlock by a felon that is to be deported? Hell yes. But the simple fact of the matter is that we are talking about a baby who had no input as to how it was conceived or by whom.

The parents kidnapped her AT GUNPOINT, Tied her up, and were driving her across state lines to FORCE her to have a late term abortion.

Now putting aside my moral objections to abortion for the moment. "Pro-Choice" people claim that the abortion issue is about a woman's right to choose. Well she made a choice to carry the child to term and raise it. She was 19 years old and was a legal adult and had the right to make such a decision for herself, be it right or wrong. Is that not an equally valid choice? Her parents were far from being "Out of line". Had it occurred in Texas they would be charged with attempted murder because Texas law protects the unborn as if they were a legal person.

October 12, 2007 12:27 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

With the advent of birth control, it seems that abortion should be a moot question, but the fact remains, not everyone will act responsibly in regards to protection from pregnancy. I don't think it's wise for us as a society to dictate laws outside of our own state. I wouldn't want New Hampshire writing laws here in Texas. If it were a clear case of kidnapping, then yes, I'd say they need to be punished appropriately. I don't honestly believe any physician would perform an abortion on an unwilling person. If that were the case, then the person performing said abortion should likewise face legal repercussions.

Isn't it too unfortunate that we even have situations like this that occur? Let me ask you this....was she expecting her parents to raise her out-of-wedlock child? Why was she still living under their roof? I think her parents are stupid, but I can't say much for their daughter, either. Tragic all around.

October 12, 2007 12:44 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sorry for the baby, but she sounds like a real lowclass slut. Screwing aroundwith a lowlife felon. I feel feathers for her.

October 12, 2007 4:16 PM  
Blogger Rorschach said...

At least she was responsible enough to not kill the child, unlike her parents.

October 12, 2007 4:29 PM  

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