Murfreesboro woman who allegedly tried to abort her child could face lesser charges

Mar 01, 2016 at 10:37 am by bryan


A woman accused of trying to abort her unborn child at six months with a coat hanger is likely to face a lesser charge than attempted first-degree murder.

The charge is expected to be reduced to aggravated assault against Anna Yocca, 31, of Murfreesboro, according to Public Defender Gerald Melton.

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Melton, who is representing her, filed a motion Monday morning in Circuit Court to dismiss the attempted first-degree murder charge against Yocca, contending state law doesn't apply to the charge in her case.

Circuit Court Judge Royce Taylor took the request under advisement. But Assistant District Attorney Hugh Ammerman, who is prosecuting the charge, opted not to oppose the motion, Melton said.

Instead, the assistant DA will take the case back to a Rutherford County grand jury during the next two weeks and likely seek a new indictment for aggravated assault, according to Melton.

Yocca was arrested in early December 2015 at Juvenile Court by Detective Tommy Roberts after the December session of the Rutherford County grand jury issued an indictment for the Amazon fulfillment center employee.

Roberts began investigating the case in September 2015 when evidence showed Yocca went to her upstairs bathroom, filled the tub with water, got in and tried to "self-abort" her pregnancy using a coat hanger. She grew "alarmed and concerned for her safety" when she saw a great deal of blood in the tub, and her boyfriend took her to St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital emergency room. From there, she was transported to St. Thomas Mid-Town in Nashville where staff members saved "Baby Yocca," according to police.

More than a dozen members of an abortion rights group with members from as far away as New York showed up to support Yocca on Dec. 22 when she was arraigned by video from the county jail. When asked by Judge Taylor whether she understood the charge, Yocca said, "Vaguely."

Wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the words, "Abortion on demand and without apology," the members of Stop Patriarchy, said she shouldn't be charged at all. They stood and raised their fists as they left the courtroom, then chanted, "Free Anna Yocca! Free Anna Yocca!"

Story by Sam Stockard with the Murfreesboro Post. See the entire story HERE.

Groups Spoke Out:

Allison Glass, Healthy and Free TN president, released a statement on the arrest of Anna Yocca of Murfreesboro, TN on charges of attempted first-degree murder for attempting to induce an abortion.

Statement:

"It is sad that any woman would feel that a risky self-induction at home was her best option rather than being able to see a doctor to end her pregnancy. It is a tragic turn of events for all involved and one that we must take action to avoid seeing again in our state.

If news reports are accurate, a woman in 2015 felt that a coat hanger was the answer when faced with an unintended pregnancy. This is shocking! The coat hanger has been a symbol of the days before abortion was legal because women were pushed to take desperate measures when they needed to end a pregnancy - swallowing poisonous household chemicals, seeking services from unlicensed practitioners in back alleys or dirty rooms and yes, using hangers, knitting needles or other objects to try to induce an abortion. And women died - thousands of women died before Roe v. Wade as a result of infection and hemorrhaging. We do not want to go back those days.

This is what can happen when more than half of Tennessee counties do not have access to a provider. This is what can happen when people cannot afford to seek out services because they would have to drive hours and take off work for multiple days to make more than one trip because of medically unnecessary requirements. This is what can happen when their insurance company may not pay for the care they need and they do not know how they will afford to pay for abortion services out of pocket when they may already be struggling to get by. This is what can happen when women who seek abortion are judged and stigmatized and left to feel like they have no one they can turn to. This is what can happen when we have created a climate that criminalizes women rather than ensuring they have access to healthcare and support.

The reports of this case may make people uncomfortable, but the fact is that whether people agree with the decision to seek abortion or not, we should not arrest people because they sought to end their pregnancy and felt like they did not have a safe and licensed option for care. We should support women and eliminate the barriers to care.

This case seems to be a reflection of the political climate we have created in Tennessee and the position in which we have put women."

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