Manslaughter Charge Dropped Against Alabama Woman Who Was Shot While Pregnant

Authored by nytimes.com and submitted by NoDopeOnSundaes

Prosecutors in Alabama said on Wednesday that they were dropping a manslaughter charge against a woman over the death of the fetus she was carrying when she was shot in the belly, in a case that stirred national outrage.

The woman, Marshae Jones, was accused of beating up a co-worker who ultimately drew a gun and fired it, wounding Ms. Jones in the stomach and killing her five-month-old fetus. A grand jury in Jefferson County, convened by District Attorney Lynneice Washington, dismissed charges against the co-worker, saying she had acted in self-defense. But it indicted Ms. Jones for “initiating a fight knowing she was five months pregnant.”

Under Alabama law, a fetus is considered to have the same rights as a child who has already been born. The grand jury sought to hold someone accountable for its death and Ms. Jones was arrested last week. The charges against her quickly drew national attention.

On Wednesday, Ms. Washington, who had signed the indictment, said in a brief news conference that she had weighed the evidence and decided to dismiss the case.

AFLoneWolf on July 3rd, 2019 at 21:59 UTC »

She said the decision not to prosecute Ms. Jones was in no way a criticism of the grand jury.

Uhhh.... That's exactly what it was. This sentence comes almost directly after she just said

it is not in the best interest of justice to pursue prosecution of Ms. Jones on the manslaughter charge for which she was indicted by the grand jury

Everyone in the whole goddamn world has lost their fucking minds.

hairy_butt_creek on July 3rd, 2019 at 19:43 UTC »

Think of the crazy precedent this starts. Yea, going around starting fights while pregnant isn't ideal but so are a lot of things.

If you go on a bender or do drugs before you realize you're pregnant or hell even after and it leads to a miscarriage down the road is that manslaughter? If you are obese and continue to eat unhealthy and that causes a miscarriage is that manslaughter? If you develop an issue during pregnancy such as hypertension and you decide you don't want to take medicine for it and that causes a miscarriage, are you up for manslaughter due to the medical choice you made with your own body? If you get pregnant at an older age and you have a miscarriage are you guilty of manslaughter for allowing yourself to get pregnant at a point in your life miscarriages are common? If there's a medical issue and the doctor orders bed rest but you are unwilling or unable to commit and you have a miscarriage is that manslaughter? You're working two or three jobs and stressed as hell and your doctor recommends less stress but you don't follow their suggestion because you need those paychecks and you have a miscarriage, could you be charged for manslaughter? If you develop cancer and you decide you want therapy even if it means miscarriage could you be charged for manslaughter? If you enjoy competitive / physical sports and continue playing while pregnant and an accident happens that causes a miscarriage could you be charged with manslaughter?

We're getting to the point where miscarriages are soon to become a legal issue as well as a medical issue. Overzealous prosecutors fueled by laws passed by idiot legislators will be able to investigate miscarriages and then go after a woman if she's found to be "at fault". Imagine having a miscarriage then finding out law enforcement is combing through your medical records and questioning your friends and family along with you trying to build a criminal case against you.

cultofconcatenation on July 3rd, 2019 at 19:29 UTC »

More than I expected from Alabama, tbh, but great news for Marshae Jones.