States prosecute women over miscarriages and Romney and marijuana

Rennie Gibbs, of Mississippi, became pregnant when she was 15 years old, lost the baby in a stillbirth 36 weeks into the pregnancy. When local prosecutors discovered that the young woman had a cocaine habit, they charged her with a criminal offense that carried up to a life term. There was no evidence that the cocaine habit, caused the stillbirth.

Bei Bei Shuai of Indiana has been charged with murder because after she attempted suicide with rat poison, the baby she carried died four days after she gave birth. She had been rushed to the hospital after ingesting the poison.

The fact is, in states where there are laws against intentionally attempting to end a pregnancy by anyone other than the mother, mothers are being charged (such as Gibbs in Mississippi) if they unintentionally end the pregnancy, such as through suspected drug use. Usually, when it comes to intent, the government must show it. It seems, they want to show a lack of intent.

The fact is, whatever the faults of these women, they would be much better served to get medical or psychological treatment, than putting them in prisons for decades at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars. If these women had miscarriages even 3 days after conception, they would still potentially face charges that carry a lifetime in prison. I have no doubts about that.

Oh, by the way, a MS patient in 2007 asked Mitt Romney if he would arrest him for taking medical marijuana. He had stated that synthetic THC (the active chemical in marijuana) does not resolve his suffering. Romney dodged and stated he was not in favor of medical marijuana. That Romney would favor the government prosecuting the man with MS, or at least his doctor, is likely. Romney rather have people suffer in pain, than have it legalized for even medical purposes. Not all people can afford the health care that Romney can, of course.