Woman Faces Texas Murder Charge After Self-Induced Abortion

By Aly Biloon ‘25
Twenty-six-year-old Liz Herrrera was arrested in Texas for the murder of her unborn fetus by self-induced abortion.

When Herrera was arrested, it was unclear what law she had broken and who had actually been killed. However, in Texas, the state with the most restrictive abortion laws in the U.S., any abortion is murder. 
On Thursday, April 9, Herrera had made her way to Starr County Hospital after her attempted self-induced abortion, explaining to the staff what had happened. They then immediately reported her to the police, who arrested her without any real criminal charge. 
Texas is one of the few states to ban abortion for women who are as early as six weeks pregnant, also allowing law enforcement to sue doctors or anyone who helps a woman get an abortion, with no exceptions for rape or incest. 
Women giving themselves abortions are usually exempt from this law. Even so, Herrara was still charged. However, prosecutors dropped the charges three days after her arrest, admitting Herrera had committed no crime.
The executive director of National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW) Lyn Paltrow said: “What is a little mysterious in this case is, what crime has this woman been charged with?" She followed up that, “There is no statute in Texas that, even on its face, authorizes the arrest of a woman for a self-managed abortion.”
The confusion regarding the change prompted citizens and protest groups like the NAPW to call for Herrera’s release. 
One of these protest groups is the Frontera Fund, a nonprofit that helps people in Starr County and the Rio Grande Valley access and pay for abortions. The fund contacted partner organizations across the county to raise awareness of this case and protested until Starr County District Attorney Gocha Ramirez agreed to drop the murder charges.  
    According to ABC news, self-induced abortions are not considered medical, as someone “can only receive the [required] medication under medical supervision.” While medical care may seem like a feasible solution, in a state like Texas where doctors can be tried and prosecuted for aiding an abortion, the cost of medical abortions skyrocket.
That Herrera and many other women like her end up inducing their own abortions is unsurprising as many cannot afford the astronomical price of a safe one.
 Although Herrera’s charges were dropped, the fight for abortion laws continues throughout Texas and the United States. Herrera’s case ended right before the news that the Supreme Court will vote to strike down Roe v. Wade was leaked. Many Republican states have already announced that they will likely ban abortions, making cases like Herrera’s only a preview for many more to come.