Murder charges dropped for woman in Texas abortion case

A Texas district attorney announced Monday he was dropping murder charges against a woman for allegedly “causing death by self-induced abortion” on Jan. 7. A Starr County grand jury had indicted Lizelle Herrera, 26, on March 30 for potentially violating state law. According to District Attorney Gocha Allen Ramirez, a hospital originally brought the case to the sheriff’s office. Herrera was arrested on Thursday and released Saturday on a $500,000 bond, but the case has sparked a national outcry. Ramirez said Monday he’d reviewed applicable law and determined criminal charges weren’t appropriate.

What exactly did Herrera do? Authorities have not released details about Herrera’s alleged crime, and the indictment does not clarify whether Herrera might have aborted her own baby or helped someone else commit an abortion. Although the Texas Heartbeat Act protects babies with a detectable heartbeat, usually at about six weeks’ gestation, Texas law also exempts mothers from criminal homicide charges for abortions. Texas Right to Life applauded the DA’s decision, stating that the organization opposes prosecutors going beyond the bounds of Texas policies. Starr County dismissed the case Monday.

Dig deeper: Read Leah Savas’ report in Vitals about legal challenges against Texas’ pro-life law.