Personhood USA, the group that has been attempting to pass state-level fetal “personhood” measures across the country, is applauding the attempted murder prosecution of a Tennessee woman who tried to give herself an abortion with a coat hanger, lamenting that women who obtain safe and legal abortions don’t face the same penalty.
The Tennessee woman, Anna Yocca, was charged with attempted first-degree murder when she attempted to abort at 24-week pregnancy with a coat hanger in her bathtub. She panicked, went to the hospital, and delivered a 1.5 pound baby. A police spokesman told the media that “the whole time [Yocca] was concerned for her health, her safety, and never gave any attention to the health and safety to the unborn child.”
Sadly, Yocca’s case is not unique. A woman in Indiana was similarly charged with allegedly attempting to self-induce an abortion earlier this year. In fact, stealth “personhood” measures — meant to lay the groundwork for criminalizing abortion by granting certain rights to fetuses — have been passed around the country. In Alabama, the state supreme court has used “chemical endangerment” laws to lay the legal groundwork for fetal personhood, leading to the prosecutions of nearly 500 women accused of endangering their fetuses.
In an email to Personhood USA supporters today, the group’s communications director Jennifer Mason applauded Yocca’s prosecution but lamented that Tennesee law protects women who “hire an abortionist to kill their babies.”
“As a mom, it’s hard to imagine the mental state of a woman who would so viciously harm both herself and her child, whether it be at her own hands or at a government-funded facility like Planned Parenthood,” Mason wrote. “This is why we need Personhood!”
Have you heard about this? Murfreesboro, TN resident Anna Yocca has been indicted and arrested on first degree attempted murder charges following a months-long grand jury investigation, despite campaigns for impunity for pregnant women from anti-baby organizations such as National Advocates for Pregnant Women.
The Washington Post reports that Yocca attempted an abortion with a wire coat hanger when her unborn baby was 24 weeks old. Fearful for her own safety, she went to the hospital where her 1.5 pound baby boy was delivered. The newborn baby boy survived, but physicians say that the baby’s quality of life is forever damaged and he will need oxygen and medication throughout his life due to damage to his eyes, heart, and lungs from his mother’s coat hanger weapon. The Murfreesboro Post also reports that physicians state that other health issues will arise as he grows.
The laws in Tennessee are so blatantly biased in favor of abortion clinics, it’s almost difficult to believe. Had Anna Yocca stabbed her baby multiple times just a few months later, an attempted murder indictment would have been expected. The small public outcry about this case from pro-abortion organizations is just a disturbing effort to dehumanize this little boy who survived an attempt on his life.
While Tennessee law does allow for attempted murder charges in cases such as Yocca’s, the law provides specific provisions for women to hire an abortionist to kill their babies at Planned Parenthood in Nashville and around the state.
As a mom, it’s hard to imagine the mental state of a woman who would so viciously harm both herself and her child, whether it be at her own hands or at a government-funded facility like Planned Parenthood. This is why we need Personhood! Of course this little baby’s life is precious and should be protected and legally defended, as should every other baby!
