Authorities are investigating an at-home abortion that led to the potentially-illegal burial of the preborn baby afterwards — potentially, infanticide.
Lancaster Online reported that an East Donegal Township teenager in Pennsylvania ordered abortion pills online, with the help of her mother, after being turned away from a local abortion facility; she then gave birth to the baby, and weeks later, buried the body in her backyard.
The initial abortion was committed last year, but police are investigating now; what tipped them off to the incident is not known, but a search warrant was filed on March 6th, and the baby’s body was found by Susquehanna Regional Police two days later.
A witness communicated with police about the abortion, saying they were there when the teenaged girl took an initial pregnancy test. Later, after obtaining abortion pills, the witness began receiving text messages about the abortion. Court records said the teenager sent texts to the witness like, “It just now came out,” and “it’s like a full baby,” and “it’s still moving.” Pictures of the baby’s genitals sent to the witness revealed she had given birth to a girl; in those messages, the teenager wrote, “excuse my blood everywhere.”
She further told the witness that she was afraid to touch the baby, because she was still making occasional movements. When the witness asked if the baby was still alive, the teenager responded, “no, cause its lungs aren’t developed.” She said the movements were just reflexes as opposed to meaningful movement, and later said she kept the baby’s body in a box underneath her bed for several weeks before eventually burying the baby girl.
While the lungs are not fully developed until late in the third trimester, the lungs actually begin to grow and form at just four weeks gestation. By 15 weeks, major parts of the airway are in place, and breathing activity is not only present between 18 and 20 weeks, but follows a circadian rhythm.
Lancaster County Coroner Dr. Steven Diamontoni confirmed that the baby had died; while he did not disclose the child’s estimated gestational age, he did say the baby was pre-viability, and could not have survived outside of the womb.
Knowing she was able to tell the baby was a girl means the child was past 10 weeks gestation. Diamontoni also said that, due to decomposition, he would not be able to tell if the baby girl took a breath before dying. While viability is often said to be 24 weeks gestation, babies have survived at much younger ages — as young as 21 weeks.
So far, it is not known if any charges will be filed against the teenager.
