Woman Charged After Discarding Fetus That She Thought Was Stillborn

Woman Charged After Discarding Fetus That She Thought Was Stillborn

Indiana is known for its’ harsh laws against abortion and now one woman who went to great lengths to try an abort her baby will face charges for the infants’s death.

via Jezebel

Despite requests to strike it down, a northern Indiana judge has allowed a feticide charge to stand against Purvi Patel, a woman who had taken measures to abort her fetus and underwent a premature delivery.

Patel, 33, had previously been charged with a Class A felony neglect in the death of an infant after, having given birth to what she believed was a stillborn and subsequently seeking hospital treatment, the body of a 28-week-old fetus was found. Via IndyStar:

The infant’s body was found outside a Mishawaka restaurant in July 2013 after Patel went to a hospital, police have said. Court documents say Patel told doctors the baby was stillborn, but a forensic pathologist ruled the infant was born alive and took a breath. Documents also allege Patel took drugs ordered from Hong Kong to try to abort the pregnancy.

Apparently, according to an ER doctor’s affidavit, “one of the two drugs Patel took would not have had any effect.” Either way, Patel could only be convicted of neglect if it was proven that the baby was alive at birth. But last week, prosecutors tacked on the Class B felony charge of feticide, which Indiana law defines as “knowingly or intentionally terminating a human pregnancy with an intention other than to produce a live birth or to remove a dead fetus.”

Pro-choice supporters are livid over these charges, claiming that Indiana’s anti-abortion stance as a state has gone too far this time. Do you agree?