Indiana prosecutor accused of silencing Chinese woman on murder charge (Bei Bei Shuai)

Source: The Guardian

Prosecutors in Indiana are being accused of trying to muzzle and intimidate a Chinese woman who has been charged with murder and attempted foeticide after she attempted to kill herself by eating rat poison while eight months pregnant.

Bei Bei Shuai's lawyer, Linda Pence, has filed papers with the Indiana courts in which she alleges that state prosecutors are trying to "intimidate and seek to silence the defendant and her counsel". She also accuses the authorities of attempting to block her from building up the fighting fund that would be essential if they are to mount an effective defence.

Last month the state of Indiana lodged a motion with the courts in Indianapolis calling for Pence to be admonished for content contained in emails the defence lawyer circulated asking for financial help in creating a fighting fund for Shuai. The defendant, originally from Shanghai, was held in jail for more than a year and now faces a murder trial related to the death of her baby, Angel, who died three days after she was delivered by emergency Caesarian.

The case is believed to be the first in 200 years of Indiana history in which a woman is being prosecuted for murder over a suicide attempt while pregnant. Women's groups around the country have warned that it could set a precedent in which the actions of a pregnant woman are criminalised.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/15/indiana-abortion