Another front opens on the reproductive-rights struggle

[sff_corgi_lj]

.
Unsurprisingly, ninglor posted this first in my Flist. A., was it you or somebody else who said this reminded her overly-much of The Handmaid's Tale?

Here's a local news station's coverage of the story:

Murder Charges Filed For Mother Who Gave Birth To Stillborn Child, March 11 2004 -- KSL-TV, Salt Lake City

And here's a followup article from the same station:

Critics: System Failed Woman Whose Unborn Twin Died, March 12 2004

I quote:

Here's a closer look at Melissa Rowland's history, based on jail records and information from her attorney.

Rowland was a twin born to a mentally retarded mother. She was placed in foster care almost immediately and adopted before her first birthday.

Her twin brother had serious medical problems and died when he was 7. Rowland was committed to a Pennsylvania mental hospital when she was 12, and diagnosed with "oppositional defiant disorder", a condition defined by hostile and uncooperative behavior.

Rowlands attorney says she was hospitalized in a mental facility at least one other time, and told him she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The defense attorney is waiting for records to confirm that

Before the murder charge, Rowland was in jail for endangerment of the twin girl who was born alive. That charge is based on allegations that Rowland tested positive for alcohol and cocaine, immedately after the birth.

Soooo... she's being jailed and hospitalised for being an uppity woman who feared for her life after two previous major surgeries?

Why are they going after her? Why not other drug users? Is it because she, of all possible targets, is least able to defend herself with her record of mental illness and drug use?

I smell a rat.

(Hey, if any of my anti-abortion Friends would please comment from their points of view on this, I would really appreciate it. It sounds uncomfortably close to 'obligatory childbirth,' but I know you're going to be able to parse it differently. [puppy-dog begging eyes])

Comments

[shellebelle93.livejournal.com]

Hey, if any of my anti-abortion Friends would please comment from their points of view on this, I would really appreciate it.

:-)

It's hard to know what to do. On the one hand, everyone was telling her that one or both of her kids was definitely going to die if she didn't have a c-section. But on the other hand, she made the decision not to have one, for whatever reason she gave.

I'm anti-abortion, and I think it's sad that she made the choice to endanger her kids, but she *did* make that choice. On the other hand, she's also got a history of mental illness and drug use. If this is true, I don't think she should be prosecuted. We don't know how well she could make decisions for herself.

This is just going to make things more painful for all involved. This woman has been through enough. She should be in counseling, not prison.

[mafdet.livejournal.com]

Not anti-abortion, but I agree with shellebelle93. This woman has a history of drug use and mental illness; I don't think she was capable of making the best decision for herself and her child. She needs treatment and counseling, not jail.

It's unfortunate that the baby had to die, but I think Ms. Rowland is being made a scapegoat, especially because she can't defend herself.

[ajodasso.livejournal.com]

I indeed mentioned The Handmaid's Tale, but ironically enough, it wasn't in this entry! I was referring to the conservative trends occurring in our government in general. This, however, does drive the comparison a bit closer to home in that it deals with reproductive rights. Shiver.