SACRAMENTO, Calif. The California Supreme Court declined to stop the prosecution of a woman who was charged with murder after authorities said she used methamphetamine before her fetus was stillborn. The court on Wednesday rejected a challenge of the charge by state Attorney General Xavier Becerra, whose office normally represents county prosecutors when their […]
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The Case of a Woman in Jail for a Stillbirth May Determine the Future of America’s Abortion Debate
December 18, 2020
In California, an interesting, tragic case is setting up to shape the future of not just abortion legislation, but also the contours of the debate and the legal consequences of codifying “life begins at conception” into law. Adora Perez is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence for the murder of her unborn child, but her case is now the center of a legal battle in which the stakes could very well be the future of the abortion debate.
FAIRFIELD-SUISUN, CALIFORNIA
With a woman in prison for a stillbirth, California’s murder law is tested [Los Angeles Times :: BC-CALIF-STILLBORN-MURDER-CHARGE:LA]
Adora Perez was two years into an 11-year prison sentence when she got a phone call.
From inside the women’s state prison in Chowchilla, California, Perez listened as attorney Mary McNamara introduced herself, saying she had been looking into Perez’s case and found it deeply flawed.
Perez was charged with murder after she delivered a stillborn baby at a hospital in California’s Central Valley, with authorities alleging methamphetamine use while pregnant was responsible. Faced with the possibility of life in prison, Perez accepted a plea deal, lost an appeal and busied herself adjusting to the rhythms of time behind bars.