R&B artist R. Kelly faced accusations of abuse and sex trafficking, including forcing a young woman to abort her unborn baby against her will, on Monday in federal court in Brooklyn, New York.
The Daily Mail reports six women have accused Kelly, 54, of sexual abuse and other crimes. He faces charges of sex trafficking, forced labor, racketeering and kidnapping. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Testifying Monday, one of Kelly’s accusers, “Jane,” said he controlled, abused and manipulated her for five years beginning when she was 17, and forced her to have an abortion when she became pregnant, NPR reports.
“Jane” said Kelly noticed her when she attended one of his concerts in Orlando, Florida in 2015 and had someone give his phone number to her. Still in high school, “Jane” said she aspired to be an R&B singer and was excited about the chance to audition for Kelly.
However, when she met Kelly in his hotel room, she said he pressured her into having oral sex in exchange for the audition. “Jane” said Kelly promised to “take care of me for life,” according to NPR.
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She and Kelly met several times and had sex, and later she moved in with him, she testified Monday. She admitted that she told him she was 18, the report states.
Eventually, “Jane” said she told Kelly that she wanted to go home to finish high school; instead, he arranged for her to be homeschooled by one of his other girlfriends, according to her testimony.
Over time, she said he became more controlling and abusive, forcing her to live under strict rules such as not being allowed to talk to men or leave her room without permission, even to use the bathroom. When she disobeyed, she said he hit her or spanked her, leaving bruises, and he once beat her with a shoe, the Daily Mail reports.
She said he forced her to have sex with other women as well, and he recorded their sexual encounters.
Then, in 2017, when she became pregnant, she said he forced her to abort her unborn baby against her will – another victim of his alleged abuse.
Kelly’s trial is expected to continue for several weeks.
Abortion and abuse frequently are linked, and for many women, abortion is not a choice at all. Some are pressured or forced by abusers to abort their unborn babies, while others are abused or killed for trying to protect their unborn children from violence.
As LifeNews previously reported, one study found that 64 percent of post-abortive women said they felt pressure to have the abortion.
Several studies also have linked domestic violence to abortion. In these cases, some women were forced or pressured by partners into having abortions, while others believed having an abortion would help them escape abuse. A 2011 study in the journal “Obstetrician and Gynaecologist” found that almost 40 percent of the women seeking abortions had a history of physical abuse and relationship issues.
LifeNews has been keeping track of reports involving allegations of forced and coerced abortions, as well as abuse connected with women who refuse to abort their unborn babies.
Reports include:
Brazil – Pregnant Woman Set on Fire, Killed After She Refused Boyfriend’s Demand to Get Abortion
Michigan – Man Convicted of Assaulting His Pregnant Girlfriend, Trying to Abort Her Baby
India – 15-Year-Old Girl Brutally Raped and Then Forced to Have Abortion
Canada – Man accused of killing toddler tried to force abortion on mother, court records show (CBC)
Minnesota – Man Charged for Allegedly Kicking Pregnant Woman in Stomach after She Refused an Abortion (Star Tribune)
Michigan – Man Charged With Raping Teen, Choking Her Until She Blacked Out Because She Refused Abortion
India – Parents Force Their Daughter to Have an Abortion Because Her Husband Was From the Wrong Caste
India – Abortion Pills Kill Woman 5 Months Pregnant After Partner Forced Her to Take Them
Brazil – Man Kills His Girlfriend’s Unborn Baby By Putting Abortion Pills in Her Vagina During Sex
Pakistan – 14-Year-Old Girl Dies After Rapist Allegedly Forced Her to Have Abortion
Tennessee – Man Kills His Pregnant Girlfriend and Her Baby After She Refuses to Have Abortion
England – Man Threatens to Slit His Baby’s Throat if His Ex-Girlfriend Didn’t Have Abortion
England – Husband Orders His Wife to Kill Their Unborn Baby in an Abortion
India – Police: Former Officer Rapes Teen Girl, Then Forces Her to Kill Her Baby in an Abortion
Florida – Jeffrey Epstein Rape Victim Says She Was Pressured to Have Abortion
California – U.S. Swim Coach Accused of Sexual Abuse, Pressuring Girl into Abortion
Pennsylvania – Man Allegedly Used Abortion Pills to Hide Sexual Abuse of Daughter and Stepdaughter When They Got Pregnant
India – Woman’s Parents Allegedly Strangle Her to Death After She Refuses to Kill Her Baby in an Abortion
Philippines – Police Officer Charged with Raping Intern, Forcing Her to Abort Her Unborn Child
Uganda – Man Stabs 18 Year-Old Girlfriend to Death After She Refuses to Have Abortion
India – Teacher Rapes 13-Year-Old Student, Then Forces Her to Have Abortion
England – Pastor Raped Multiple Women and Children From His Congregation, Forced Them to Have Abortions
Wales – Man Accused of Brutally Strangling His Pregnant Girlfriend, Demanding She Get an Abortion
Texas – Man Jailed for Life After Killing His Pregnant Girlfriend Because She Wouldn’t Abort Their Baby
California – Man Reportedly Forced His Girlfriend at Gunpoint at Take Drugs to Kill Her Baby in Abortion
Wisconsin – Man Allegedly Slipped Abortion Drugs into Pregnant Girlfriend’s Drink
Tennessee – Man Kills Girlfriend and 4-Month Old Baby, She Refused to Abort So He Could Escape Child Support
New York – Attacker Kills Woman 5 Months Pregnant, New York’s New Abortion Law Says Her Baby Isn’t a Human Being
Utah – Man Reportedly Killed His Pregnant Ex-Girlfriend Because She Refused to Have Abortion
Virginia – Doctor Convicted of Spiking Pregnant Girlfriend’s Drink with Abortion Drugs
Hawaii – Man Stabs His Girlfriend More Than Two Dozen Times Because She Refused an Abortion
California – Man Hired Hitman to Kill His Girlfriend and Unborn Son Because She Refused Abortion
Florida – Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Tricking Pregnant Girlfriend into Taking Abortion Drugs
Norway – Man Convicted of Killing Unborn Baby after Slipping Abortion Drugs into Girlfriend’s Drink
Indiana – Man Charged with Attempted Feticide for Allegedly Spiking Girlfriend’s Drink with Abortion Herbs
New York – Man Convicted of Attempted Murder after Secretly Giving Girlfriend Abortion Drugs
Pennsylvania – Abortion Doc Allegedly Tried to Force His Girlfriend to Abort Their Baby, Then Beat Her When She Refused
Colorado – Man Uses a Skewer to Force His Girlfriend to Abort After She Refuses Demand to Have an Abortion
Indiana – Man Tries to Force Pregnant Girlfriend to Have Abortion By Poisoning Her Drink
England – Man Jailed for Tying Up His Girlfriend, Forcing Abortion Drugs Into Her Vagina
