Read this ridiculous story:
A pregnant woman shot in the stomach is indicted in her unborn child’s death
Once again, Alabama is at the forefront of a nationwide debate over the rights of pregnant women.
This time, the controversy stems from the case of a pregnant woman who was shot in the stomach and is now charged with manslaughter for the death of her unborn child.
A Jefferson County grand jury indicted Marshae Jones, 27, based on her alleged role in starting a fight that led to the gunfire, CNN affiliate WBMA reported.
The indictment, however, may or may not lead to prosecution, according to a statement from the Jefferson County District Attorney Bessemer Division’s office.
“While the Grand Jury has had its say, our office is in the process of evaluating this case and has not yet made a determination about whether to prosecute it as a manslaughter case, reduce it to a lesser charge or not to prosecute it,” Bessemer Cutoff District Attorney Lynneice Washington said.
“We will announce our decision only after all due diligence has been performed.”
The law firm of White Arnold & Dowd in Birmingham said it is representing Jones.
“The unprecedented decisions made in this matter have brought harm to Marshae and to the reputation of the state of Alabama,” the firm said in a statement. “Our goal is to support Marshae through this process, to vigorously advocate for her exoneration and to ensure that a grave injustice does not occur.”
The fight was about the baby’s father
Jones was five months pregnant in December when she got into a fight with another woman outside a Dollar General store in Pleasant Grove, just west of Birmingham, the station said.
Authorities say the dispute involved the baby’s father, AL.com reported.
“It was the mother of the child who initiated and continued the fight which resulted in the death of her own unborn baby,” Pleasant Grove police Lt. Danny Reid told AL.com shortly after the shooting.
He said the fight caused the other woman, Ebony Jemison, to react and defend herself. He would not describe Jones, the pregnant woman, as a shooting victim.
“The investigation showed that the only true victim in this was the unborn baby,” Reid said.
But that characterization incensed critics who say Alabama keeps prioritizing fetuses over women.
Last month, the state passed the country’s strictest abortion law, which makes virtually all abortions illegal. The law says doctors who perform illegal abortions could face up to 99 years in prison.
The Yellowhammer Fund, which helps women who are unable to afford an abortion or the costs of travel, said Jones’ indictment is ridiculous.
“Marshae Jones is being charged with manslaughter for being pregnant and getting shot while engaging in an altercation with a person who had a gun,” Executive Director Amanda Reyes said in a statement.
“The state of Alabama has proven yet again that the moment a person becomes pregnant their sole responsibility is to produce a live, healthy baby and that it considers any action a pregnant person takes that might impede in that live birth to be a criminal act.”
According to Alabama law, manslaughter happens when:
— A person recklessly causes the death of another person; or
— A person causes the death of another person under circumstances that would constitute murder, “except that he or she causes the death due to a sudden heat of passion caused by provocation recognized by law, and before a reasonable time for the passion to cool and for reason to reassert itself.”
Manslaughter is a Class B felony, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
Jemison, the accused shooter, initially faced a charge of manslaughter, AL.com reported. But a grand jury declined to indict the 23-year-old.
The Pleasant Grove Police Department has not responded to CNN’s requests for comment.
I’ve been saying for years that when you exalt the right of the unborn to live, you destroy the rights and dignity of pregnant women. And this case shows exactly that issue.
The pregnant woman was UNARMED and the other woman had a gun. It is illogical to call the shooting an act of self-defense. It is even more illogical to prosecute the mother-to-be for her fetus dying. But that is what happens when a black woman is pregnant and you want to make an example of her instead of punishing the real criminal. Racism and sexism in a southern state wrapped up in one ugly package. It is sickening proof of how corrupt the justice system in Alabama is and that state should be facing a nationwide boycott over this.
Dale Husband's Intellectual Rants 
Justice has prevailed!
https://start.att.net/news/read/category/News/article/newsweek-charges_dropped_in_death_of_unborn_fetus_marshae_j-rnewsweek
Manslaughter charges against Alabama resident Marshae Jones, charged in the death of her unborn fetus after being shot in the stomach, were dropped on Wednesday.
“There are no winners in this case, only losers in the sad ordeal,” Jefferson County District Attorney Lynneice Washington said at a press conference.
Following the DA’s announcement, Jones’ attorneys said they hoped something like this “won’t ever happen again.”
“We are pleased with the District Attorney’s decision to dismiss the charges against Marshae Jones,” the legal team said in a statement. “It is the appropriate decision, both for our client and for the State of Alabama.”
“The District Attorney’s decision will help Marshae continue to heal from this tragic event and work to rebuild her life in a positive and productive way,” the statement continued. “She moves forward with enormous gratitude for the support she and her family have received during this challenging time.”
The statement concluded: “With the dismissal of charges, the community of support that surrounded Marshae can now channel its immense passion and energy toward ensuring that what happened to Marshae won’t ever happen again.”
As news of Jones’ acquittal circulated, women’s rights groups and other advocacy organizations came to ther defense.
“Marshae Jones shouldn’t have been charged to begin with,” the ACLU tweeted. “The DA’s decision here represents precisely what we want to see in these critical moments: a prosecutor who is not afraid to use discretion and the power to refuse to prosecute when justice demands the charges be dropped.”
The National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW) also criticized the choice to charge Jones.
“This cruel and unsupportable interpretation of Alabama law is consistent with anti-abortion and ‘fetal personhood’ ideology that empowers state actors to control and incarcerate more black, brown and poor white people.”
“Ms. Jones’s arrest for manslaughter because she experienced a pregnancy loss and was involved in an argument in which someone shot her won’t protect any life, won’t create healthy communities, won’t advance maternal or child health, and won’t achieve any justice,” the statement continued. “It will not help her heal from the gunshot wound that ripped through her abdomen or from the loss of a baby she very much wanted. It will, however, affirm the message that state police power may be used to control and lock up pregnant women.”
The incident involving Jones occurred in December 2018, after the expectant mother got into an altercation with the alleged shooter, 23-year-old Ebony Jemison.
Following the shooting, Pleasant Grove Police Lt. Danny Reid told local media that Jones was responsible for the death of her child because she had initiated the fight with Jemison.
“The investigation showed that the only true victim in this was the unborn baby. It was the mother of the child who initiated and continued the fight which resulted in the death of her own unborn baby,” Reid told reporters at the time.
Jones’ indictment came June 27 after a grand jury dropped manslaughter charges against Jemison.
“Today, Marshae Jones is being charged with manslaughter for being pregnant and getting shot while engaging in an altercation with a person who had a gun,” Amanda Reyes, Executive Director of The Yellowhammer Fund said at the time. “Tomorrow, it will be another black woman, maybe for having a drink while pregnant. And after that, another, for not obtaining adequate prenatal care.”
Reyes added that Alabama “has proven yet again that the moment a person becomes pregnant their sole responsibility is to produce a live, healthy baby and that it considers any action a pregnant person takes that might impede in that live birth to be a criminal act.”