Charges against a 26-year-old woman who was arrested for performing ‘self-induced abortion’ were dropped by a local district attorney in Texas.
Lizelle Herrera was arrested on Thursday after allegedly violating the state’s abortion law in “knowingly causing the death of an individual by self-induced abortion,” police said.
However, Starr County District Attorney Gocha Allen Ramirez said in a statement that he was dismissing the charges as the incident was “not a criminal matter.”
“It is clear to me that the events leading up to this indictment have taken a toll on Ms. Herrera and her family,” Ramirez wrote.
“To ignore this fact would be shortsighted.
“The issues surrounding this matter are clearly contentious, however based on Texas law and the facts presented, it is not a criminal matter.”
The new Texas Heartbeat Act law, under which Herrera was arrested and charged, bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected – with no exceptions for incest or r*pe.
La Frontera Fund, an abortion assistance fund based in Texas, held a protest outside the Starr County Jail on Saturday demanding the woman’s release.
Speaking to KSTX, Frontera Fund founder Rockie Gonzales said: “This arrest is inhumane. We are demanding the immediate release of Lizelle Herrera.
“What is alleged is that she was in the hospital and had a miscarriage and divulged some information to hospital staff, who then reported her to the police.”
The organization also slammed the recently passed Texas Heartbeat Act.
“This is a developing story and we don’t yet know all the details surrounding this tragic event, what we do know is that criminalizing pregnant people’s choices or pregnancy outcomes, which the state of Texas has done, takes away people’s autonomy over their own bodies, and leaves them with no safe options when they choose not to become a parent,” Gonzales continued.point 493 | 1
He also argued that the bill is the most restrictive abortion ban in the country as it prohibits the procedure even before many women discover that they are pregnant.
“We want people to know that this type of legislation impacts low-income people of color communities the most when state legislators put restrictions on our reproductive rights,” Gonzales added.
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