Lizelle Herrera: Murder charges dropped against Texas woman in 'self-induced abortion' case
Lizelle Herrera, a 26-year-old Texas woman, was charged with 'intentionally and knowingly caused the death of an individual by self-induced abortion,' according to authorities. Herrera's pregnancy status is unknown, but Texas has outlawed all abortions after the discovery of an embryonic 'heartbeat,' which can occur as early as six weeks into a pregnancy.
Herrera was being held on a $500,000 bond at the Starr County Jail while officials investigated, according to KVEO. However, the murder charge against Herrera has now been dismissed, according to reports.
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The Texas Heartbeat Act prohibits abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, with no exceptions made for rape or incest. The law's peculiar enforcement procedures were intended to protect it from legal challenges; anyone, including the woman herself, can file a lawsuit against anyone who assists her in procuring an abortion. A plaintiff in this situation could be entitled to up to $10,000 in damages.
On Saturday morning of April 9, the La Frontera Fund, a Texas-based abortion support organization, staged a rally outside the Starr County Jail, demanding Herrera's release. Frontera Fund founder and board chair Rockie Gonzalez told KSTX, "This arrest is inhumane. We are demanding the immediate release of Lizelle Herrera. What is alleged is that she was in the hospital and had a miscarriage and divulged some information to hospital staff, who then reported her to the police."
Protestors are chanting for abortion rights and the release of Lizelle Herrera. @TPRNews pic.twitter.com/qxzhhnqhng
— Carolina Cuellar Colmenares (@Wzrd_of_Lnlynss) April 9, 2022
The group also slammed the recently approved Texas Heartbeat Act, despite the fact that the specifics behind Herrera's arrest are still sketchy. "This is a developing story and we don't yet know all the details surrounding this tragic event, what we do know is that criminalizing pregnant people's choices or pregnancy outcomes, which the state of Texas has done, takes away people's autonomy over their own bodies and leaves them with no safe options when they choose not to become a parent," Gonzalez stated.
A protest is underway outside the Starr County Jail where Lizelle Herrera remains in custody. Herrera was arrested and charged with murder for “self-induced abortion.”
— FRANCO (@ocnarfjimenez) April 9, 2022
“She wasn’t the first and she won’t be the last,” a supporter said. #RGV pic.twitter.com/Unu1hrGmSg
The bill, which went into force on September 1, 2021, is the most draconian abortion restriction in the country, prohibiting the practice before many women even realize they are pregnant, according to the campaigner. It also empowers ordinary persons to bring lawsuits against anyone who conducts or 'aides and abets' an abortion.
"We want people to know that this type of legislation impacts low-income people of color communities the most when state legislators put restrictions on our reproductive rights," Gonzalez told the radio station.
Following its enactment in September, the measure was received with criticism from pro-choice organizations. However, none of the legal efforts to invalidate the law have succeeded, including one filed in the United States Supreme Court in December 2021 and another filed in the Texas Supreme Court this month.
The Texas law is in direct contradiction with major US Supreme Court rulings prohibiting states from outlawing abortion before the first trimester, but it was crafted in such a way that it has effectively bypassed those precedents. Abortion providers in Texas have admitted that the law is likely to remain on the books for the foreseeable future due to a lack of alternatives.