A pregnant 21-year-old woman from Lebanon has died after her husband allegedly beat her and set her on fire because she wouldn’t have an abortion. Hana Mohammed Khodor was admitted to the hospital on August 6 but succumbed to her injuries on August 17.
According to the Daily Mail, Khodor’s husband, identified only as AA, wanted her to abort their child who was due in December because he felt that they couldn’t afford to raise a child. When she refused, he beat her and doused her with a gas canister before setting her ablaze.
A doctor at Al-Salam Hospital, where she was admitted, told Arab News that she suffered burns on 100 percent of her body. The doctor also said that the medical team delivered the child, but the baby also died. “Hana was five months pregnant when the incident happened. The baby died and we had to operate on her to remove the fetus. Her chances of survival are very bleak,” he said at the time. Khodor later died after 11 days in the hospital. Police are said to have arrested her husband as he was trying to flee the country.
READ: Man charged with murder of 9-months-pregnant wife, but no charges for killing baby
Unfortunately, incidents like these are becoming more common. Homicide is a leading cause of death for pregnant women, and domestic violence is also “more common than any other health problem among women during pregnancy.” Live Action News recently reported on a U.S. Navy officer who was charged with murder after allegedly killing his pregnant girlfriend because she, like Khodor, refused to have an abortion. Breana Rouhselang, Tassila Kenha, Laura Wallen, and Anna Angok were all pregnant women who were killed by their partners.
While these stories made the mainstream media, many don’t. Women are routinely pressured and coerced to abort their preborn children. These horrifying cases highlight more than ever the need to offer a strong support system for women.
Author’s Note: If you are a victim of domestic violence, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline, or call 1-800-799-SAFE.
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