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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Attempted Murder Charge for Failed Coat Hanger Abortion

(CN) - A Tennessee woman is awaiting a court date after she was accused of trying to self-abort her pregnancy in a bathtub with a coat hanger.

Anna Yocca, 31, was indicted on charges of attempted first-degree murder earlier this month and she was arrested last week, according to local news reports.

Yocca allegedly tried to end her pregnancy in September when she was 24 weeks pregnant. She went to a Murfreesboro, Tenn., hospital because of a large amount of blood, reports say.

Doctors at a Nashville hospital were able to save the baby, but the child will need continued medical support for the remainder of his life because of injuries sustained in the alleged abortion attempt, according to reports.

Yocca is being held in the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center on a $200,000 bond. Her next court date is Dec. 21. She faces the possibility of a life sentence.

The Guardian reports that Yocca has been charged under general homicide laws, which were not meant to be applied to fetuses. That issue could bring about constitutional challenges, according to the British newspaper.

"The whole time she was concerned for her health, her safety and never gave any attention to the health and safety to the unborn child," Sgt. Kyle Evans, spokesman for the Murfreesboro Police Department, told CBS affiliate WTVF.

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