🚨BREAKING: Georgia woman charged with murder for abortion
❗️UPDATE: According to Camden County Sheriff's Office Inmate Inquiry, the woman has been charged with attempt to murder.
In Georgia, murder charges are divided into two categories: commit and attempt. Georgia statute states: “A person commits the offense of criminal attempt when, with intent to commit a specific crime, he performs any act which constitutes a substantial step toward the commission of that crime.”
This is important to note, because the elements of an attempt charge make it easier for the State to prosecute. (In this case, the attempted murder charge doesn't require the State to prove cause of death.)
A Georgia outlet is reporting that a woman has been charged with murder for allegedly consuming misoprostol to end her pregnancy. Georgia's abortion ban enshrined Fetal Personhood ideology, beginning ~6 weeks LMP.
Georgia's abortion ban focuses on punishing providers. The ban does not explicitly criminalize pregnant people for terminating their own pregnancies, however it also does not include an explicit exemption from prosecution for pregnant people who self-induce abortions.
The details are few and murky (and may change as more information comes out).
Misoprostol is an ulcer drug that “is used off-label for a variety of indications in the practice of obstetrics and gynecology, including medication abortion, medical management of miscarriage, induction of labor, cervical ripening before surgical procedures, and the treatment of postpartum hemorrhage. Misoprostol’s effects are dose dependent.”1
The standard dose of misoprostol for the purposes of both medication abortion and miscarriage management is 800 mcg (micrograms). However, the local outlet states that the woman consumed 200 mg (milligrams) of misoprostol—a dose that is 250 times higher than the 800 mcg standard. A second article from the same outlet states the woman consuming 20 mg of misoprostol—a dose that is 25 times higher than the standard 800 mcg dose.
Abortion bans create a black market of abortion drugs that may not always be safe or the correct dosage. (To access safe medications, click here.)
Depending on the dose, misoprostol can trigger contractions, inducing labor. This is why the drug is used to treat miscarriages and for early abortions (though abortion bans have resulted in delayed provision). Hence, the woman is effectively being charged with murder for merely inducing labor before the fetus was viable.
According to the local outlet, after consuming the misoprostol, the woman delivered a non-viable fetus at the hospital, who expired after birth. Abortion bans delay access to safe abortions, forcing people to stay pregnant longer than they otherwise would.
This occurred in December, but she was arrested last week and charged with murder. She is being held behind bars without bond.
Allen, R., & O’Brien, B. M. (2009). Uses of misoprostol in obstetrics and gynecology. Reviews in obstetrics & gynecology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2760893/