Attorneys for an Indiana woman sentenced to 20 years in prison for what she says was a miscarriage have asked the Indiana Court of Appeals to overturn her sentence. Last year Purvi Patel was convicted of feticide and neglect of a dependent, becoming the first person in U.S. history sentenced to prison for what the state said was an attempt to end her own pregnancy. Patel arrived at a hospital bleeding, and later acknowledged disposing of her stillborn fetus in a dumpster. Prosecutors accused her of taking abortion-inducing pills, even though there were no drugs found in her system, and used a discredited “float test” to argue the fetus was born alive. In a statement, National Advocates for Pregnant Women said: “[We support] Ms. Patel because we believe that there is no point in pregnancy when a woman should lose her civil and human rights. We know that arresting or bringing criminal charges against people for ending a pregnancy, experiencing a miscarriage or stillbirth, or for being pregnant and giving birth, puts all pregnant people at risk.”
Purvi Patel Appeals 20-Year Sentence for What She Says was a Miscarriage
HeadlineMay 24, 2016