A woman from Texas was arrested on Thursday for allegedly performing an illegal abortion on herself, according to authorities.
26-year-old Lizelle Herrera was taken into custody near the U.S.-Mexico border, and is currently being held in a Starr County jail detained on a $500,000 bond.
A police spokesperson told reporters that Herrea “did intentionally and knowingly cause the death of an individual by self-induced abortion.”
It’s unclear how far along Herrera was in her pregnancy but sheriff’s major Carlos Delgado said that no other information would be made available until Monday.
Romeo Gonzalez, a family friend, told The Post that he taught the woman’s father in 1986 and had recently agreed to help Lizelle find work.
“I really can’t imagine what they are going through right now,” said Gonzalez, who’s also a former teacher who runs an insurance company in Roma, Texas, where Herrera lives with her family. “I was waiting for her to send her resume but she never did.”
Pro-abortion groups such as The Frontera Fund have called on supporters to protest Herrera’s incarceration, which comes after Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed controversial anti-abortion legislation in September banning abortions after six weeks.
Rockie Gonzalez, the founder and director of the Frontera Fund, spoke to Medium and argued that many women don’t even realize they are pregnant during those six weeks.
“What we know is that…she was in the hospital and had a miscarriage and divulged some information to hospital staff, who then reported her to the police,” she said.
Her group also posted the phone number of the Starr County jail and urged followers on social media to call to demand her release.
“It’s wrong and unconstitutional for Lizelle to be arrested on alleged murder charges,” the group said.” “Pregnant people should not be criminalized regardless of pregnancy outcomes.”
In related news, Idaho Governor Brad Little recently signed a similar abortion bill into law banning abortions at the point where a heartbeat is detected but allowing the usual exceptions for rape, incest, or medical emergencies.
“While I support the pro-life policy in this legislation, I fear the novel civil enforcement mechanism will in short order be proven both unconstitutional and unwise,” Little explained.
