A South Carolina woman sentenced to 12 years in prison for homicide as a result of suffering a stillbirth has lost a bid to reverse her conviction.
In a one-line order issued Monday, the US Supreme Court let stand a South Carolina Supreme Court decision upholding her conviction for homicide by child abuse. The woman in question had used cocaine during her pregnancy.
The case is important because it opens the door to making a large number of women in South Carolina who suffer a stillbirth potential murder suspects, legal analysts say. The list of potential suspects could include not just drug addicts but users of tobacco, alcohol, and coffee, and maybe even those who endure unhealthful conditions in the workplace, analysts say.
A corollary to the latter has already happened, as my post two posts down from this one reflects. Warren Richey of The Christian Science Monitor reports on the sad case of South Carolinian Regina McKnight, "a homeless drug addict with an IQ of 72," here.