A prosecutor in Texas on Monday, April 11, dropped charges against a young woman charged with murder a few days earlier for having an abortion, sparking a national mobilization around her case.
Lizelle Herrera, 26, was arrested on April 7 on charges of
"knowingly causing the death of a person by her own abortion
," according to authorities in a Texas county on the border with Mexico.
She was only released after posting $500,000 bail.
On Monday, a prosecutor finally dropped the charges against him, according to a court document seen by AFP.
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"By examining the legislation in force in Texas, it is clear that Ms. Herrera cannot and should not be prosecuted for the facts with which she is charged
," said Gocha Allen Ramirez in a press release.
The prosecutor, however, assured that the local authorities had been right to arrest him
“after a report from the hospital”
, because
“ignoring the facts would have been a breach of their duty”
.
It is not clear whether the law passed in September 2021 in Texas prohibiting abortions after six weeks of pregnancy served as the basis for the initial indictment.
But this affair testifies to the great sensitivity surrounding abortion in the United States, at a time when proposals for abortion laws - restrictive or protective - are sweeping through hundreds of state legislatures in anticipation of a decision by the Supreme Court likely to upset the legal framework in force for nearly 50 years in the country.
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"We stand with Lizelle and all people in Texas who seek care, despite systemic barriers and obstacles
," said Planned Parenthood, which runs many abortion clinics in every state. -United.