LAWRENCE - A Lawrence woman remained held on $15,000 cash bail last night waiting to hear whether her botched abortion attempt with a prescription anti-ulcer drug will lead to a charge of homicide.
Police Chief John Romero said authorities are awaiting the autopsy results on the 11/4-pound baby girl Amber Abreu delivered Jan. 6 before deciding whether to go forward with a homicide charge. The infant died four days later in a Boston hospital.
Abreu, 18, is charged with procuring miscarriage, a felony, for allegedly taking ulcer prevention pills to abort her baby in her 23rd to 25th week of pregnancy.
Prosecutors allege that Abreu took three misoprostol pills in an attempt to miscarry in the days before the baby was born.
Misoprostol or Cytotec, used to treat stomach ulcers, also is used with the abortion pill, RU-486 or Mifeprex, to terminate pregnancy up to 49 days after the beginning of the last menstrual cycle in medically induced abortions. To induce a miscarriage, a woman swallows Mifeprex, which blocks production of a hormone required to sustain pregnancy. Then she takes misoprostol to cause contractions and finish the miscarriage. It is not legal to use misoprostol alone to abort a pregnancy.
Abortions in Massachusetts are legal until the 24th week of pregnancy.
During Abreu's arraignment in Lawrence District Court Wednesday, Assistant District Attorney Jessica Strasnick said the state's medical examiner is inclined to rule the infant's death a homicide. Romero said the autopsy report is expected within six weeks.
As of last night, Abreu was being held at MCI-Framingham, the state's women's prison.
According to the state Department of Social Services report, Abreu told police she got the Cytotec from a friend visiting from the Dominican Republic.
