Florida Officials Seek Man Who Attacked Girlfriend After She Refused Abortion
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
October 7, 2008
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Police in Fort Myers, Florida are seeking a man who allegedly assaulted his pregnant girlfriend after she refused his request to get an abortion. Officials at the Lee County sheriff’s office believe there is enough evidence to arrest the assailant, a 22-year-old man from the area.
According to authorities, the suspect kidnapped his pregnant ex-girlfriend, pressured her to have an abortion, and beat her after she refused.
Deputy Charmaine Smith told the local News-Press newspaper the 18-year-old victim drove herself to Gulf Coast Hospital after the suspect finally let her go. The incident was eventually reported to police.
The paper indicates the victim and suspect dated for about six months and she lived with him at two different places for two additional months. The young woman is 16-weeks pregnant with the suspect’s child.
Officials say the suspect drove with the victim to a remote part of town and then began a conversation telling her to get an abortion. The victim refused, saying she was too far along and that abortion went against her beliefs.
“(The suspect) told (the victim) one way or another, she was not going to have the baby, that it would never be born,” Smith told the newspaper. “(The suspect) told her to make a decision, either she would get rid of the baby or something would ‘happen’ to her.”
The suspect then reportedly slapped the victim in the face and then punched her twice in the face. After the victim complained of stomach pains, the suspect dropped her off at a gas station so she could make her way to a medical center as long as she would tell police someone else hit her.
If arrested, the suspect will face charges of aggravated battery and false imprisonment.
The case is one of many involving attacks on pregnant women who refuse to get abortions. The various incidents have prompted 36 states and Congress to approve unborn victims laws holding criminals accountable for killing or injuring both mother and child.
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