The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
March 31, 2015

Indiana: Purvi Patel Sentenced to 41 Years for What She Says Was a Miscarriage 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


 
In Indiana, Purvi Patel has been sentenced to 41 years in prison for
what she says was a miscarriage. Patel was convicted of feticide and
felony neglect last month after prosecutors accused her of taking drugs
to induce an abortion, even though no drugs were found in her system.
She said she miscarried and disposed of her dead fetus in a dumpster.
But prosecutors, using scientifically contested evidence, claim the baby
was born alive. A judge sentenced her to 30 years for neglect and six
for feticide, plus five years probation. The sentences will be served
concurrently, with 10 years suspended, making her effective sentence 20
years. The two charges appear mutually exclusive; feticide applies when
a fetus dies in the womb, while felony neglect applies to live children,
but Patel was convicted of both. Critics say her case showcases the
increasing criminalization of pregnancy.

 

.