Pre-partum depression
Suicide and the expectant mother
In December, 2010, an Indiana woman named Bei Bei Shuai, then 33 weeks pregnant, tried to kill herself after her boyfriend left her. While her life was saved, her fetus did not survive and Shuai was imprisoned on charges of murder and feticide, writes Women’s ENews. What could have been a precedent-setting verdict was avoided in early August when Shuai pleaded guilty to criminal recklessness in the death of her baby. Observers were concerned that if Shuai had been found guilty of the murder charges, there would be “separate and unequal laws for pregnant women," said Lynn Paltrow, executive director The National Advocates for Pregnant Women. "It could mean anything that a pregnant does can be charged."
August 7, 2013 11:30 AM