The news that Michelle Fisher Young had been beaten to death at her home in a quiet subdivision south of Raleigh was shocking enough. That Young was four months pregnant only made it worse.But it's not all that unusual.
Homicide is the leading cause of death among pregnant women, according to some studies. Others have found it is a leading cause of death among pregnant women and mothers of newborns. Young, who expected to deliver a boy in the spring, was just the latest in a long list of women whose lives were cut short as they tried to bring a new life into the world.