Georgia v. Kenlissia Jones

In 2015, Kenlissia Jones was arrested and held without bond in Georgia on the charge of "malice murder" for allegedly using the drug misoprostol to have an abortion at home, outside of a medical setting. After Pregnancy Justice and local allies spoke out again st the arrest, the County prosecutor concluded that there existed no legal grounds in Georgia for charging a pregnant woman with murder for terminating her own pregnancy (and issued a press release to that effect). While the murder charge against Ms. Jones was dropped and she was released from jail, this occurred only after she had endured the trauma of an arrest, incarceration for several days, and violation of her rights to medical and personal privacy.

In long-awaited court action, all charges were finally dismissed against Kenlissia Jones, the African-American Georgia woman who had been arrested based on the claim that she had used medication she obtained online to terminate a pregnancy. Pregnancy Justice, a national nonprofit legal advocacy organization, provided substantial legal assistance to Ms. Jones and her criminal defense lawyer.

Pregnancy Justice applauds Dougherty County Prosecutor Gregory W. Edwards' conclusion that there is no legal authority for charging a pregnant woman with the crime of murder for having terminated her own pregnancy.

Statement of Pregnancy Justice Opposing Arrest of Georgia Woman as Murderer for Home Abortion Attempt

According to Georgia prosecutors, 23-year-old Kenlissia Jones has been arrested and is being held without bond, facing a possible charge of "malice murder," based on the claim that she used misoprostol, a medication with the brand name Cytotec, to terminate her own pregnancy.