Man Gets 25 Years, Killed Girlfriend Who Refused Abortion

State   |   Sarah Terzo   |   Jan 9, 2012   |   11:29AM   |   New York, NY

A man who killed his pregnant girlfriend on her due date after she refused an abortion has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the crime.

On November 8, 2011, LifeNews covered the tragic death of Niasha Delain, 25, who was brutally stabbed on the day she was supposed to give birth to a son. The stabbing, which was described by the prosecutor as “a crime of almost unimaginable viciousness” took place in October of 2008.

The convicted murderer, Derrick Reed, had been pressuring Delain to have an abortion for months, according to her friends and family and police. Under current law, Reid could only be charged with one murder despite the death of Delain’s full term son. The baby, who could easily have survived outside the womb, was to have been named Aidan by his mother.

Delain’s mother, Towanda Wimms, has urged state lawmakers to make it a crime to take the life of an unborn child during the commission of a homicide.

Tragically, the murder of pregnant women by their partners is all too common. Murder is the leading cause of death among pregnant women.(1) Although abortion is generally touted as a woman’s choice, a study shows that 64% of women who have abortions feel that they were pressured into the decision, usually by their partners.(2)  In tragic cases such as this one, the coercion escalates into violence.

The Elliot Institute, an organization that advocates for postabortion women, has more information about abortion related violence here: https://www.unchoice.com/

  1.  I.L. Horton and D. Cheng, “Enhanced Surveillance for Pregnancy-Associated Mortality-Maryland, 1993-1998,” JAMA 285(11): 1455-1459 (2001); see also J. Mcfarlane et. al., “Abuse During Pregnancy and Femicide: Urgent Implications for Women’s Health,” Obstetrics & Gynecology 100: 27-36 (2002)
  2. VM Rue et. al., “Induced abortion and traumatic stress: A preliminary comparison of American and Russian women,” Medical Science Monitor 10(10): SR5-16 (2004)

LifeNews.com Note: Sarah Terzo is a pro-life liberal who runs ClinicQuotes.com, a web site devoted to exposing the abortion industry.