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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsChange.org: Pregnant woman attempts suicide, is charged with murder.
Here's information and a petition to the prosecutor at Change.org
http://www.change.org/petitions/protect-pregnant-women-free-bei-bei
Numerous organizations and leaders who identify themselves as pro-life have assured the public that state murder and feticide laws that create special penalties for harming fetuses would not result in the arrests of pregnant women. Terry Curry, the Marion County Prosecutor, however is using these laws as the basis for arresting pregnant women who take any intentional action that could harm the fertilized eggs, embryos, or fetuses inside of them.
In 2010, Bei Bei Shuai, a pregnant woman living in Indiana became so depressed that she attempted to end her own life. With help from friends who intervened, however, she survived. Although Ms. Shuai did everything she could, including undergoing cesarean surgery, to ensure that her baby survived, her newborn died shortly after birth.
Ms. Shuai was arrested for the crime of murder (defined to include viable fetuses) and feticide (defined to include ending a human pregnancy at any stage). The sentence for murder can be the death penalty or 45 years-to-life. The sentence for attempted feticide is up to 20 years. Both of these kinds of laws are promoted and supported by pro-life organizations.
Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life has said that the pro-life movement is not out to punish women. Yet, as of March 14th Ms. Shuai, will have been imprisoned and punished for an entire year. (Bail is not allowed when the charge is murder).
Indianas murder and feticide statutes were passed in response to violent attacks on pregnant women and with the promise that they would be used to protect pregnant women and the fetuses they carry from such assaults. Instead, in a blatant bait and switch maneuver these laws are being used to lock-up pregnant women.
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http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/mar/08/defense-seeks-dismissal-of-ind-fetal-murder-case/
INDIANAPOLIS A lawyer for a woman charged with murdering her infant because she ate rat poison while pregnant says records clearly show that the Indiana law she's charged under was only meant to apply to people who attack pregnant women, not the women themselves.
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Shuai, a Chinese immigrant from Shanghai, was eight months pregnant and heartbroken after a breakup when she ate rat poison in December 2010. She was hospitalized and doctors detected little wrong with the fetus' health for the first few days.
Shuai, 36, gave birth to Angel Shuai on Dec. 31. Three days later, the baby died from bleeding in the brain. Medical staff reported her to the police; her lawyers said it was a suicide attempt. In March 2011, after Shuai was released from treatment for depression, prosecutors charged her with murder and feticide. Her trial is scheduled to start April 22.
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Last week, prosecutors ask the judge to restrict Shuai's attorneys from questioning witnesses in ways that might elicit sympathy for her. A friend previously testified that Shuai wept as her three-day-old daughter died in her arms after she was removed from life support.
RKP5637
(67,108 posts)usually pretty bleak.
Control-Z
(15,682 posts)Shuai has nearly 11,000 signatures.
"This case aims to set a precedent that reduces pregnant women to walking wombs under total state control and surveillance at all times, subject to getting thrown in jail if for whatever reason we can't or don't obey," said Brooke M. Beloso, an assistant professor in gender studies at Butler University in Indianapolis who started the petition."
Petition to drop charges here: http://www.change.org/petitions/protect-pregnant-women-free-bei-bei
annabanana
(52,791 posts)Control-Z
(15,682 posts)and sign it.
Thanks for signing it.
LittleBlue
(10,362 posts)Suicidal behavior is a mental illness until some right wing fundie crap politicizes the incident, then it's murder
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)For god's sake someone please put the rational hat on please.
shenmue
(38,506 posts)One of so many reasons we need to improve care for the depressed.
Kalidurga
(14,177 posts)Back to when pregnant women could be attacked and lose their baby and there were no additional charges. It was a very sad situation to me. But, many progressives said that if women were given that protection for their babies it would lead to this kind of situation. I didn't get it the situations seem completely different to me. In one a woman has made a decision about her life to end it an unfortunate side effect was the loss of her baby. In the other where a woman is attacked she presumably had no desire to lose her baby it was taken.
In any case people that warned against these laws to protect women who do want to carry their child to term, were called monsters. They were asked how can you be so callous toward women who want their child? Now I am thinking those people who will charge women with murder for losing a child for whatever reason are the monsters.
cali
(114,904 posts)who decided to charge this poor woman. rat poison might figure into it.
This case should have been thrown out a year ago.
JRLeft
(7,010 posts)Snake Plissken
(4,103 posts)I'm surprised they haven't called to stone her to death yet.
BlueJazz
(25,348 posts)annabanana
(52,791 posts)I'll go sign the change.org thing
OldDem2012
(3,526 posts)fortyfeetunder
(8,894 posts)Where was the help for that woman when she needed it? Another condemnation of the scarcity of behavioural health care in this country.
Th1onein
(8,514 posts)And I just signed the petition.
pnwmom
(108,978 posts)in many cases. The laws are also being used to prosecute women who've used drugs during pregnancy. So if a woman took drugs during her pregnancy, she'd be much better off having an abortion in the first six months than continuing with a pregnancy -- knowing that if she had a stillbirth or damaged her fetus, she could be held criminally responsible and sent to prison for decades.
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)I very much want to keep track of what is going on with her case. Based on the little bit I read I fear if she goes to trial she'll be convicted.
Someone needs to post the number for the prosecutor's office and organize a call in day where we just tie up their phone lines all day from open to close leaving messages asking for the charges against her to be dropped. I'm in South Korea and I'd be happy to call.