Alleged bid to abort leads to baby's death

[Ian David]

By Brian R. Ballou and Raja Mishra, Globe Staff | January 25, 2007

LAWRENCE -- An 18-year-old Dominican immigrant was charged yesterday with illegally taking prescription anti-ulcer pills to induce an abortion, a risky technique common in her native land that resulted in the death of her premature baby.

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Amber Abreu, 18, with her public defender, Amanda Barker, at her arraignment yesterday, is being held on $15,000 bail. (DEBORAH HAMMOND/ASSOCIATED PRESS/POOL)

Yesterday, the teenager stood silently in a gray hoodie in Lawrence District Court as she was arraigned on one count of procuring a miscarriage, a felony that carries a punishment of up to seven years in prison. However, Abreu's unusual case -- a collision of medicine, law, and culture -- could soon become far more serious.

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Abreu's fate hinges on how far along her pregnancy was when she took the pills, a point the state medical examiner's office is trying to determine in an autopsy. Prosecutors said they believe it was between 23 and 25 weeks. Abortion is illegal in Massachusetts after 24 weeks, and any action intended to cause a miscarriage after that threshold could prompt homicide charges, prosecutors said.

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Abortions using Cytotec occur among Latina immigrants, according to advocates for reproductive health, because most Latin American nations, including the Dominican Republic, prohibit abortion. As a result, women seeking to end pregnancies turn to Cytotec as a cheap alternative, they said. And many women who emigrate bring knowledge of the technique with them.

"We find that Latina immigrants, particularly those new to the country, don't understand the abortion system in the US; they assume it's illegal here," said Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, director of policy and advocacy for the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health.

More:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/01/25/alleged_bid_to_abort_leads_to_babys_death/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+City%2FRegion+News

[xchrom]

1. all this proves is that despite legal restrictions -- women will try to control their own fate.

i.e. own their bodies.

and lunacy will lead even the most rational people to try and prosecute and jail them for it.

[Crayson]

2. Law vs. Reality

It's always stupid to create Laws that aren't followed by the majority.

If I were a woman.
If I were pregnant and didn't want this pregnancy to change my life planning.
I'd get rid of it.

I'd probably use other drugs, more natural ones.
Nature is full of poisons that have the desired effect.

No one messes with MY body.
I have a right of self defense.
I don't care against who or what or which sickness or unwanted pregnancy I defend my body.
if you choose to defend yourself, you don't think whether it's legal or not.
You do it!

[Bridget Burke]

3. Yes, there are natural drugs that can cause abortion...

They're called "abortifacients."

However, there can be problems. Herbs vary in strength & different women react differently. If the preparation is too strong, the woman can die. If it's too weak, a partial abortion can happen--meaning a tip to the emergency room.

If a pregnancy must be ended, modern medical methods are best. Preferably, as early as possible.