Georgia Woman Charged With Murder After Taking Misoprostol And Oxycodone

Abortions are illegal in Georgia after 6 weeks of pregnancy.  Here we have the sad case of a woman who gave birth ‌to ⁠a premature girl well after that period with "major health issues," after taking misoprostol and illegal oxycodone.  This case could set legal precedents, depending upon the full facts of the matter and the progression of legal process:

https://www.reuters.com/world/georgia-woman-faces-murder-charge-after-taking-abortion-pill-2026-03-21/

Georgia woman faces murder charge after taking abortion pill
By Jasper Ward - March 21, 2026

Summary

• Advocacy group calls charges 'cruel and unjust'
• Georgia has a ban on nearly all abortions
• Newborn was reportedly born at 22- to 24-weeks gestation
• Woman told friend she did not want another child, police say

March 20 (Reuters) - A 31-year-old ​Georgia woman has been charged with murder after she took abortion medication and gave birth to a ‌premature infant who died within hours, according to court documents and arrest records.

Alexia Moore was arrested, charged and jailed by local police earlier this month in coastal Camden County, Georgia, near the Florida border over the episode on December 30.

Nearly all abortions in ​Georgia are illegal after six weeks of pregnancy. Since the U.S. Supreme Court's overturned Roe v. Wade ​in 2022, eliminating the constitutional right to abortion, many states have adopted abortion bans.

While ⁠other states have sought to prosecute women who had abortions, it is rare they are charged with murder ​as Moore was. It will be up to state prosecutors to decide whether to move forward with the case.

Moore, ​who already has two young children, took the abortion medication misoprostol at home then was rushed to the Southeast Georgia Health System Camden Campus on December 30, after experiencing severe pain, according to a police report.

She informed staff of her pregnancy and said ​she had taken 200 mg of misoprostol before arriving at the emergency room. A friend later told police ​that Moore took the abortion pill because she did not want another child.

While at the health center, the 31-year-old gave birth ‌to ⁠a premature girl who police described as having "major health issues." Police said Moore also took illegal oxycodone, an opioid.

The newborn survived about an hour. The police report did not indicate weeks of gestation for the infant, but the Washington Post reported that Moore was between 22 and 24 weeks pregnant.

A lawyer for Moore could not immediately ​be reached for comment.

Dana Sussman, ​senior vice president at ⁠advocacy group Pregnancy Justice, said the Georgia case has no basis in the law and that it should be met with a vigorous defense on several grounds.

Georgia's abortion ​law "does not contemplate murder charges for someone who has an abortion, and self-managing ​an abortion is ⁠not a criminal act in Georgia. Charging Ms. Moore with murder is cruel and unjust," Sussman said in a statement.

Legal action by states that have banned or restricted abortion has largely been targeted at providers, including doctors who ⁠prescribe abortion ​medications remotely and dispense them through the mail.

Meanwhile, several Republican-led states ​including Texas and Florida are pursuing legal challenges to federal rules that have eased access to abortion drugs, including a 2023 regulation allowing ​them to be dispensed through the mail.