No charges in attempted fetus death in Iowa

Associated Press - February 10, 2010 8:44 AM ET

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) - Prosecutors say they won't formally charge a Burlington woman who was accused of trying to end her pregnancy.

Twenty-2-year-old Christine Taylor, a mother of 2, says she was falsely accused after a Jan. 19 incident in which she fell down the stairs of her home.

Taylor told The Des Moines Register that she believes the personal views of medical workers and police played a part in a decision to accused her of attempted feticide.

After reviewing the case, Des Moines County prosecutors says they have decided not to formally charge Taylor.

Lynn Paltrow of the New York-based National Advocates for Pregnant Women says transforming some mothers' difficult and painful circumstances into a crime would make every pregnant woman "vulnerable to criminal prosecution."

Information from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com