Question
How is a person punished of he accidentally causes a woman to miscarry?
Answer
The Midrash Mechilta explains the passage in Ex.21:22-23 as follows: If the mother lives, the person who caused the miscarriage pays a fine of 100 pieces of silver to the child’s father; the amount is fixed by the court, not by the father. If the mother dies, the person who killed her is guilty of manslaughter (but not of murder, since her death was an accident).