A Georgia woman, 31, faces murder charges after using abortion medication and delivering a premature baby who died shortly after birth, according to court documents and arrest records.
Alexia Moore was arrested and jailed by local authorities in coastal Camden County, Georgia, near the Florida border, following the incident on December 30.
In Georgia, nearly all abortions are prohibited after six weeks of pregnancy. The overturning of Roe v. Wade by the US Supreme Court in 2022, which removed the constitutional right to abortion, has led many states to implement abortion bans.
While some states have attempted to prosecute women for having abortions, it is uncommon for them to face murder charges as Moore does. The decision to proceed with the case rests with state prosecutors.
Moore, who has two young children, took the abortion medication misoprostol at home and was then rushed to the Southeast Georgia Health System Camden Campus on December 30 due to severe pain, as noted in a police report.
She informed the medical staff of her pregnancy and disclosed that she had taken 200 mg of misoprostol before arriving at the emergency room. A friend later informed police that Moore took the abortion pill because she did not want another child.
During her time at the health center, Moore gave birth to a premature girl whom police described as having “major health issues.” Authorities also stated that Moore consumed illegal oxycodone, an opioid.
The newborn lived for approximately an hour. The police report did not specify the weeks of gestation for the infant, but the Washington Post indicated that Moore was between 22 and 24 weeks pregnant.
An attorney for Moore could not be immediately contacted for comment.
Dana Sussman, senior vice president at the advocacy group Pregnancy Justice, argued that the Georgia case lacks a legal foundation and should be robustly defended on multiple grounds.
Georgia’s abortion law “does not contemplate murder charges for someone who has an abortion, and self-managing an abortion is not a criminal act in Georgia. Charging Ms. Moore with murder is cruel and unjust,” Sussman stated.
Legal actions by states that have banned or restricted abortion have mostly targeted providers, including doctors who prescribe abortion medications remotely and distribute them through the mail.
Meanwhile, several Republican-led states, including Texas and Florida, are challenging federal regulations that have eased access to abortion medications, including a 2023 rule allowing their distribution through the mail.
