Murder charge dropped against Texas woman over ‘self-induced abortion’
A murder charge against a Texas woman over a “self-induced abortion” has been dropped.
District Attorney Gocha Allen Ramirez announced his decision Sunday to dismiss the case against Lizelle Herrera, 26, who was arrested Thursday for “intentionally and knowingly causing the death of an individual by self-induced abortion,” according to local officials.
Few details were made public, including whether Herrera performed the abortion herself or arranged for someone else to do it. It is not clear how far along the pregnancy was.
“Self-induced abortion” typically refers to any procedure not performed by medical professionals. It could include ingesting pills or other substances, or an action performed on the body.
Herrera was released on $500,000 bond Saturday with money raised by the Frontera Fund, a Rio Grande Valley abortion rights organization that also helped her find legal counsel. “Policing pregnant people is WRONG regardless of pregnancy outcomes,” the group said in a statement.
Herrera’s attorney did not immediately return a request for comment.
Texas’ abortion ban outlaws procedures after six weeks, but there are no criminal consequences, only civil; anyone can sue someone who “aids or abets” an abortion. Another law prohibits the supply of medical abortion pills after 49 days of pregnancy, punishable by a $10,000 fine and up to two years in prison.
“It is clear to me that the events leading up to this indictment have taken a toll on Ms. Herrera and her family,” DA Ramirez said in a statement.
“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.”
Ramirez stressed the Starr County Sheriff’s Department was right to investigate the abortion after being tipped off by a local hospital. “To ignore the incident would have been a dereliction of their duty,” he said.
Ramirez said he would officially file a motion to have the charge dismissed Monday.
Herrera’s arrest came as the Supreme Court prepares to rule on a Mississippi abortion case that could entail the justices striking down Roe v. Wade, reversing the federal right to an abortion established in 1973.
