Murder Charge Dropped Against Georgia Woman who Took Unprescribed Abortion Pills
A Georgia prosecutor dismissed murder charges against a 23-year-old woman accused of inducing an abortion by taking pills that she bought online without a prescription.
Dougherty County District Attorney Greg Edwards released a statement Wednesday saying that he is no longer pursuing murder charges against Kenlissia Jones of Albany for allegedly ending her pregnancy.
"I dismissed that malice murder warrant after thorough legal research by myself and my staff led to the conclusion that Georgia law presently does not permit prosecution of Ms. Jones for any alleged acts relating to the end of her pregnancy," Edwards said in a statement, according to The Washington Post. "Although third parties could be criminally prosecuted for their actions relating to an illegal abortion, as the law currently stands in Georgia, criminal prosecution of a pregnant woman for her own actions against her unborn child does not seem permitted."
A police report states that Jones was arrested on Saturday after she and her boyfriend broke up, and she took four pills to terminate her pregnancy. Jones, who was believed to be about 5 and a half months pregnant at the time, then gave birth in a car on the way to the hospital, but the newborn died 30 minutes later. Following the incident, she had been jailed and charged with murder.
During a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Edwards explained that Jones will not be prosecuted for murder "because the law provides immunity to mothers in any act that may be committed against their unborn fetus," he said.
Lynn Paltrow, an attorney and executive director of National Advocates for Pregnant Women in New York, praised prosecutors for dismissing the murder charge.
"She was arrested and held without bond in a health crisis," Paltrow said, reports The Associated Press. "You do not want to have a pregnant woman fear arrest as a result of the outcome of her pregnancy or for seeking health care."
Although the murder charge has been dropped, Jones still faces a misdemeanor charge for dangerous drug possession. According to Georgia law, any law is defined as dangerous if it requires a prescription.
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