Purvi Patel Becomes First Woman In Us To Be Sentenced To Prison For Feticide

[Morbid]

SOUTH BEND, IN – A 33-year-old Indiana woman accused of ending her own pregnancy became the first woman in the U.S. to be sentenced to prison for feticide.

According to court documents, Purvi Patel arrived at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center maternity ward in July 2013 with an empty umbilical cord protruding from her nethers. She told doctors she’d miscarried and left the fetus in a dumpster behind her family’s restaurant.

Police located the dumpster where a male fetus was found dead inside a plastic bag. Patel stated she’d been aware of her pregnancy for approximately three weeks before she went into the bathroom where “it all came out.” She further stated she found the lifeless fetus amidst all the blood, so she attempted to perform CPR but was unsuccessful.

When detectives asked why she didn’t call 911, she stated she “didn’t know what else to do,” and didn’t want her parents to find out she’d had premarital sex, or had become pregnant as a result of her liaison with the baby’s father. Patel was arrested and initially charged with child neglect.

Read more: http://www.dreamindemon.com/2015/04/02/purvi-patel-sentenced-20-years-prison-feticide/#ixzz3WCSAc67P

 

[Podargus]

20 years for an abortion? That is fucked up.

In July 2013, Patel went to the emergency room with heavy bleeding. She eventually admitted to miscarrying a stillborn fetus and placing it in a bag in a dumpster. (Patel lived with her religiously conservative parents who did not believe in premarital sex.) After police searched Patel’s cellphone, they found text messages that suggested she bought abortion-inducing drugs online.

Despite the fact that no traces of any abortifacent were found in Patel’s blood worktaken at the hospital, the prosecution argued that she had taken the drugs mentioned in her text messages and caused her miscarriage at 23-24 weeks of pregnancy. And, in legal maneuvering that defies imagination, Patel was chargednot just with fetal homicide, but with neglecting a child. As the Guardian reported last year, these charges are completely contradictory: neglecting a child means that you neglected a live child, and feticide means that the baby was born dead.

But logic has never been at the center of the draconian laws and arrest policies that target pregnant women: control is. As Lynn Paltrow, the executive director of the National Advocates for Pregnant Women, told me last year about laws aimed at drug-using pregnant women, this kind of prosecution “is about making pregnant women – from the time an egg is fertilized – subject to state surveillance, control and extreme punishment.”

http://www.theguardian.com/commenti...l-to-serve-20-years-in-prison-for-an-abortion

 

[Sevens My Charm]

I guess I don't get it. They have no proof she took meds or when she did- if she did. She miscarried a 'stillborn' child- as in NOT living. She did put the child in a bag in a dumpster but, I buy the 'I don't want to be part of an honor killing' feeling! You might be able to pull abuse of corpse out of your ass but, I don't understand how much more??

 

[gatekeeper]

Being bullied, punished and made a public example of because you're different is still alive and well in these United States. I hope the appellate judge doesn't have a personal agenda, too. Or, the Indiana State Supreme Court. Or, the U.S. Supreme Court...

 

[Krystal]

20 years for an abortion? That is fucked up

I'm only speculating here so please don't stone me too much.

Her charges and conviction may come from how far along in the pregnancy that she was. 24 weeks is the standard age for a fetus to be considered viable, NICU's have been consistently saving 24 weekers for decades now but the part that many people don't know is that your larger hospital's NICU's can save 22 weekers with quite regularity, and in fact some with minimal to no problems or lasting effects of their premature birth.

She was estimated to be between 23 and 24 weeks.

I honestly do not know if that is why she was charged and convicted that explanation is pure speculation.

 

[JackBurton]

I don't get it.

How far along was the kid?

How could they so definitively say the thing was viable?

If it was determined to be viable after birth, how is it still just a fetus? Doesn't that definition change? You have what the courts have legally determined to be a living thing born, and determine to have been viable following that birth, yet it's still being classified as a fetus and this as feticide? Doesn't all this make it a no shit actual baby? How does it continue to be just a fetus? And why is it feticide and not fetuside?

20 fucking years? The fuck? How did they get a jury to buy into all this beyond a reasonable doubt? The fuck??????!?!? There's GOTTA be more info about the case that hasn't made it public, there just HAS to be.

And haven't killers been sentenced for offing the unborn child of a pregnant woman they've killed? Hasn't that factored in? I thought for sure i've heard it has in numerous cases, or am i just remembering the talk of "they might try and cahrge for the fetus's death" but it never ends up happening? Surprised to see this is the FIRST occurance of it in the courts.

Anyways, love the name. We had this creepo indian guy in our neighborhood a while back who we jokingly referred to as Pervy Patel, fantastic coincidence and it puts a pretty hilarious spin on an otherwise very bizarre and barring more light shining details, infuriating story.

 

[Dutchesse]

This is an absolute fucking travesty.
So here we have an adult with poor decision making skills and nutcase parents and a very bad precedent in law. Everybody loses.

 

[gatekeeper]

I'm only speculating here so please don't stone me too much.

Her charges and conviction may come from how far along in the pregnancy that she was. 24 weeks is the standard age for a fetus to be considered viable, NICU's have been consistently saving 24 weekers for decades now but the part that many people don't know is that your larger hospital's NICU's can save 22 weekers with quite regularity, and in fact some with minimal to no problems or lasting effects of their premature birth.

She was estimated to be between 23 and 24 weeks.

I honestly do not know if that is why she was charged and convicted that explanation is pure speculation.

Yup. In the original source article for this story, it also specified that she stated to detectives that she was "aware of her pregnancy for three weeks," in those words, so I'm thinking in addition to the judge's statement about the chance of viability, the jury was also considering the fact she stated she *knew* (without question) she was pregnant for three weeks prior to this incident. Right, wrong or indifferent, my guess is that played a factor in their decision, too.


PS: Damn, she is gorgeous! Smdh.

 

[Sevens My Charm]

I was COMPLETELY AWARE of my pregnancy of my son, Kaiden, EVERYTHING was normal and fine till his stillbirth delivery. Did the article NOT SAY that the baby was born stillborn. It DOESN'T matter a rats a*s how long she knew of her pregnancy. Life is what it is.. good- really f*cking bad- or indifferent..

 

[JackBurton]

She was estimated to be between 23 and 24 weeks.

But did SHE know she was that far along? How can they get her for a charge like this, and for such a harsh punishment, if they can't prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she knew she had a viable pregnancy/fetus? What if she believed she was only a couple months along?

I'm thinkin her defense attorney was god awful, either that or the bimbo said wayyyyyyyy too much and provided investigators/prosecutors way too much ammunition to use against her.

 

[Hans]

I am a supporter of abortion, I think anyone should be able to do it for any reason. I take issue with this story because she threw the baby in the dumpster. When I go to the doctor, I always take all the evidence of my illness. I have children, so I guess I think differently about the beings that come from my body, but I'd atleast have thrown the fetus in a Walmart bag and took it with me to the hospital. I'd have to guess that that baby is the evidence right there. She didn't want them to see it, what we don't know is what the pathologist gleaned from his corpse. I could support her if she had an abortion, but I dont support liars, and I kind of think she is a liar.

Also, this is my first post and hi everyone.

 

[Sevens My Charm]

I am a supporter of abortion, I think anyone should be able to do it for any reason. I take issue with this story because she threw the baby in the dumpster. When I go to the doctor, I always take all the evidence of my illness. I have children, so I guess I think differently about the beings that come from my body, but I'd atleast have thrown the fetus in a Walmart bag and took it with me to the hospital. I'd have to guess that that baby is the evidence right there. She didn't want them to see it, what we don't know is what the pathologist gleaned from his corpse. I could support her if she had an abortion, but I dont support liars, and I kind of think she is a liar.

Also, this is my first post and hi everyone.

@Hans
Hi and Welcome
I am not saying it was the best decision by far.. however.. I don't have to worry about being killed over a honor killing either!

 

[kitcatmcgee]

I have an issue with her trying to go the illegal abortion route, she could have went the legal way and there would be no issue... I cant help it I keep comparing this case to those bitchs that die getting illegal ass injection

 

[Athena]

I am a supporter of abortion, I think anyone should be able to do it for any reason. I take issue with this story because she threw the baby in the dumpster. When I go to the doctor, I always take all the evidence of my illness. I have children, so I guess I think differently about the beings that come from my body, but I'd atleast have thrown the fetus in a Walmart bag and took it with me to the hospital. I'd have to guess that that baby is the evidence right there. She didn't want them to see it, what we don't know is what the pathologist gleaned from his corpse. I could support her if she had an abortion, but I dont support liars, and I kind of think she is a liar.

Also, this is my first post and hi everyone.

But, we *do* know what the pathologist gleaned from the corpse. He used a scientifically discredited test to assert that the baby was alive when born, although only for a second. Even though the prosecution admitted it would have been only for a second, this was the piece of "evidence" that substantiated the child neglect charge. Although the pathologist for the defense argued that the child was stillborn, jurors get to choose which expert they're going to believe. And, in Bum Fuck Egypt, Indiana, a jury wants to believe this brown woman's baby was alive when she callously tossed it in the trash.

No, it wasn't, even if it was born alive and survived for only a second. She was freaked the hell out and did the only thing with a dead fetus she knew to do at the moment. For those who haven't given birth, it's pretty terrifying. Even for someone like me, who researched the ever-loving crap out of it, had a supportive family, a doting husband, and a perfectly proficient medical team. You don't know what's going to happen at that moment, and especially if she wasn't even aware of the pregnancy until recently, she had no time to prepare herself mentally or emotionally. This on top of the fact that her parents would be absolutely disgusted with her and, who knows, maybe cast her from their lives entirely.

So, yeah, she initially tried to say she hadn't been pregnant. Her situation at that moment was more horrific than anyone should have to live through (even and perhaps especially if it was on purpose), and she was in damage control mode. No, she didn't want anyone to know she had been pregnant, especially if the baby didn't even make it.

It's interesting to me... In all the discussions I've had about this case, people commonly support the conviction based on the fact that she put the corpse in the dumpster... which isn't actually illegal.

Hi, Hans. Welcome, and I hope you enjoy your stay.

How could they so definitively say the thing was viable?

They couldn't, but they also didn't really have to. The charge of feticide simply applies to an intentional abortion committed illegally. The abortion doesn't even have to be successful. You can still be charged if the baby lives. And, the state of Indiana has restrictions. You have to physically see a doctor 18 hours or more in advance (use of telemedicine is prohibited) so they can discourage you in person and you have to have an ultrasound, thus rendering the purchase of abortion medication online clearly illegal.

The viability was only to support the child neglect charge. She would have been convicted anyway, though.

I have an issue with her trying to go the illegal abortion route, she could have went the legal way and there would be no issue... I cant help it I keep comparing this case to those bitchs that die getting illegal ass injection

You seem to have no idea how difficult it is to get an abortion in the state of Indiana. And why would you? You don't live there. But, let me tell you. There are only 12 abortion providers for the entire state, and over 90% of the counties don't have a single provider. They're primarily centered around Indianapolis which, depending on where in St. Joseph's Co. she lived, would have been a 2 1/2 hour drive or better. And she would have had to make multiple trips due to the restrictions I mentioned above.

Indiana is an ultra-conservative state, and they intentionally make it very difficult to obtain an abortion there.

 

[Momzilla]

This case is ridiculous- at the least, she miscarried like she says-- even the worst case scenario is she purposely caused an abortion (I don't like the idea of abortion & I would never have one but I believe in a woman's right to choose for herself!)
So if she went to some clinic & had the same result would she have been charged? And if that's the case then the prosecutor could stand outside Planned Parenthood & had out 'feticide' charges to every woman there I guess?!

 

[JackBurton]

For those who haven't given birth, it's pretty terrifying.

Except it's a vagina being ripped apart instead of some dudes chest. Truly the most grotesque and horrifying thing a human being, especially a male, can witness.

I have an issue with her trying to go the illegal abortion route, she could have went the legal way and there would be no issue...

There were texts where she stated she took abortion drugs, none were found in her or the fetus's systems though. No proof.

The charge of feticide simply applies to an intentional abortion committed illegally.

So essentially the biggest/only issue fueling the feticide charge is the belief that she conducted an illegal abortion on herself. I don't see how they can pursue charges and such a severe punishment when there's no clear proof she did anything to cause a termination of the pregnancy.

Again, unless she's a fucking idiot and said wayyyyyyy too much to investigators.

I really hate this Indiana law making it illegal to terminate a pregnancy through anything but the legal, approved abortion procedure. I get it if the intent is to prevent women from offing viable babies just weeks out from being born, past the whole third trimester or whatever. But if it's being used against women at any point during a pregnancy, or if it's being used in some witch hunt against a woman who very well may have miscarried, then fuck the authorities. Disgusting when the world of medicine and/or law seeks to control how a person chooses to treat their own physical ailments/conditions. Laws like this give the gov't wayyyyy too much control, God damned slippery fucking slopes.

 

[Athena]

So essentially the biggest/only issue fueling the feticide charge is the belief that she conducted an illegal abortion on herself. I don't see how they can pursue charges and such a severe punishment when there's no clear proof she did anything to cause a termination of the pregnancy.

Again, unless she's a fucking idiot and said wayyyyyyy too much to investigators.

I really hate this Indiana law making it illegal to terminate a pregnancy through anything but the legal, approved abortion procedure. I get it if the intent is to prevent women from offing viable babies just weeks out from being born, past the whole third trimester or whatever. But if it's being used against women at any point during a pregnancy, or if it's being used in some witch hunt against a woman who very well may have miscarried, then fuck the authorities. Disgusting when the world of medicine and/or law seeks to control how a person chooses to treat their own physical ailments/conditions. Laws like this give the gov't wayyyyy too much control, God damned slippery fucking slopes.

They can and did pursue charges, AND got a conviction because... Indiana. The legal system is reliant upon humans, and lord knows, this isn't the first multi-human fail we've experienced as a species. The prosecution won the jury selection game, straight up. But the defense is going to appeal the shit outta this, guaranteed... and if it can get heard at a high enough level, I imagine it'll be overturned. No guarantee, though. Hell, I didn't think they'd get the conviction to begin with.

As for the second part, the shitty thing is, the intention of feticide laws was to protect mothers, not vilify them. Once upon a time, if you were pregnant, and your man beat you up until you miscarried, or you got mugged and the robber pushed you down and it caused a miscarriage, there was nothing suitably severe for them to be charged with. Thus, the feticide charge (and all its variations) was born (pun totally intended, LMAO). But, those sneaky anti-choicers are always looking for viable (on a roll!) ways to circumvent Roe v. Wade. These laws designed to protect mothers (I believe 35 states have some version) are a double-edge sword for those states that would criminalize abortion entirely if given a chance. Indiana being a perfect example. "We're going to limit availability of birth control and quality of sex ed, then we're going to make abortion as difficult as possible to obtain legally, and we'll nail your ass to the fucking wall if you don't follow these rules." And guess what? Abortion has dropped in Indiana. Birth rates are higher than national average and falling more slowly than in the rest of the country. History suggests they'll eventually see a correlating increase in crime.

And, witch hunt? You don't even know, brothaman. Several states (Georgia, Utah, Kansas, just to name a few) have sought or are seeking legislation that would make investigating miscarriages mandatory. Every miscarriage, no matter how obviously natural. And, if you're in these states, heaven help you if you've ever expressed regret or fear or anger about your pregnancy at any point... You're an expecting mother! Be a glowing source of sunshine and radiance at all times... or else.

And this will ultimately cause women to avoid medical treatment at times like this. I almost bled to death after giving birth, myself. Lost over a liter of blood. It was like a scene in a horror movie. Squirted the curtain behind the doctor and everything. But, miscarriages pose that risk and others. If it's a partial miscarriage, the parts that remain inside you can rot and create infection, for example. Pregnancy really is a vile thing that we should be helping women relieve themselves of at every opportunity, honestly.

Purvi's the first of many, I fear, if this case isn't appealed successfully.

 

[Abroad]

It's interesting to me... In all the discussions I've had about this case, people commonly support the conviction based on the fact that she put the corpse in the dumpster... which isn't actually illegal.

Is improper disposal of a dead body not a crime in Indiana? And even if they consider the dead body a fetus instead and so not quite a dead body, it should still have been disposed of as medical waste, surely?

 

[Athena]

Is improper disposal of a dead body not a crime in Indiana? And even if they consider the dead body a fetus instead and so not quite a dead body, it should still have been disposed of as medical waste, surely?

You know, I suppose I shouldn't have stated it quite like that, since I haven't been able to confirm. I know that it would not qualify as abuse of a corpse under Indiana statute. But odds are good that they have some sort of improper disposal law. Probably a misdemeanor hardly worth the time in court, though, if anything.

 

[disgusted4sho]

So.....did her parents find out? :shrug:

Guess not if shes still permitted to breathe....:whistle:

 

[JackBurton]

Pregnancy really is a vile thing that we should be helping women relieve themselves of at every opportunity, honestly.

This is one of the most beautiful things i've ever read in my entire life.

 

[bowling68]

Patel's feticide conviction under a state statute adopted in 1979 to fight illegal abortion clinics is raising questions among legal scholars, medical examiners and women's rights advocates about how much control women should have during their pregnancies, and whether they can be held criminally responsible when something goes wrong.

"It's troubling for a few reasons," said David Orentlicher, a professor at the Robert H. McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis who studies health care law. "What it says is that women have to worry that if they do something that might be viewed as something harmful to their fetus, they could have a prosecutor come in."

Is a pregnant woman who smokes vulnerable to prosecution? Or one who drinks? Or one who falls in a skiing accident? What if she had previously expressed reservations about her pregnancy?

Law professors from Indiana and Stanford universities say Indiana's feticide law raises enough questions that they have agreed to handle Patel's appeal for free. Meanwhile, women's rights advocates say the law itself may need to be revisited.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/05/03/pregnant-woman-feticide-charge/26838389/

 

[mrcarolinablue823]

I want abortion to be safe, legal and RARE. I want abortion to be the rarest procedure in the whole worl. But, her body, her choice.

I would support a ban when and if the fetus is viable. If viable, it's a human being; no termination unless fatal, inevitable, birth defects are present. Damn if I know how to balance the rights of the mother vs the rights of the fetus.

 

[Sue sue]

How fucked up is this country. In one state you are sentence 20 for a self induced pregnancy termination and in another state and woman cuts out a seven month old fetus killing it and is not being charged with a crime for that act. She is only being charged with the assault on the pregnant mother.

 

[Athena]

The conviction was overturned by an appeals court!

 

[Keepalowprofile]

In the decision, the judges chose to vacate the class A felony conviction of neglect of a dependent and feticide, but instructs the trial court to resentence Patel for the lesser charge of class D felony neglect of a dependent. That carries a maximum prison sentence of three years.

From Athena's link.

 

[Pete Bondurant]

Every Indian woman (feather, dot, Hoosier etc...) should have an abortion as soon as is possible. There are far too many of these people about. I cannot even begin to understand a single word that my heart specialist says. I am unable, even to pronounce his name. I would report him to Homeland Security, but they no longer answer my calls. Why are there so many of these Fucking people!? I thought Custer slaughtered most of them at Waterloo, or somewhere?

 

[lalalandmamma]

Every Indian woman (feather, dot, Hoosier etc...) should have an abortion as soon as is possible. There are far too many of these people about.

Lack of affordable accessible birth control is the obvious answer as to why so many. Support affordable access to all family planning solutions.

 

[Pete Bondurant]

Lack of affordable accessible birth control is the obvious answer as to why so many. Support affordable access to all family planning solutions.

Poor women have abortions every day. What the fuck are you talking about? A majority of women who get scraped are poor. At any rate, I fully support tax-payer subsidised abortion on demand and birth-control for all persons of non-European ethnic origin, and all registered Democrats and socialists.

 

[lalalandmamma]

https://www.guttmacher.org/article/...e-health-and-rights-state-trends-midyear-2016

Poor women have abortions every day. What the fuck are you talking about? A majority of women who get scraped are poor. At any rate, I fully support tax-payer subsidised abortion on demand and birth-control for all persons of non-European ethnic origin, and all registered Democrats and socialists.

Dammit. I would have to pay for my own abortion.

---

Poor women seem to have more abortions because they have less access to affordable contraception methods than more affluent women. But poor women actually have a lower abortion rate.

Single women who make $47,000 or more a year abort 32 percent of their pregnancies, whereas single women making $11,670 a year or less abort only 8.6 percent.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_facto...ven_though_middle_class_women_abort_more.html