Kentucky woman accused of chemical abortion, burying baby

A Kentucky mother was arrested and jailed on Wednesday after police said she admitted to killing her baby through a chemical abortion before burying the body in her backyard. State law protects unborn children from abortion with few exceptions, for instance, in cases where the life of the mother is at stake. The Campton, Kentucky, mother allegedly visited a nearby health care clinic on Wednesday afternoon and told the staff she aborted the baby at her home, according to a Kentucky State Police spokesman. She is presumed legally innocent until proven guilty in court.

What did the police investigation uncover? Police said the health care clinic called them, and officers questioned the woman. She allegedly told detectives she’d ordered abortifacients online and taken the medication, resulting in a chemical abortion at home. She said her actions resulted in the death of a developed male infant, police said. She further told police that she buried the baby in a shallow grave on the back side of her property, and investigators found the grave. Police didn’t detail the gestational age of the aborted baby.

Police charged the mother with first-degree fetal homicide, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with physical evidence. She was incarcerated in the Three Forks Regional Jail in Beattyville, Ky., as of Thursday afternoon, according to online jail records. 

Is abortion legal in Kentucky? Kentucky state law prohibits all abortions, including chemical abortions, unless the mother is at risk of death or serious physical injury.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report on calls from pro-lifers for regulations to prevent widely used abortion drugs from entering water systems.