A Georgia judge set a $1 bond for a woman facing murder charges tied to allegations she used abortion pills to end a pregnancy, potentially paving the way for a possible reduction or dismissal of charges.
Alexia Moore, 31, was arrested by police in Savannah earlier this month on a warrant that echoed a 2019 Georgia law banning abortions after embryonic cardiac activity can be detected.
Moore was charged with murder after police determined she had been pregnant beyond six weeks “based on the medical staff’s knowledge that the baby had a beating heart and was struggling to breathe”.
Moore’s case is believed to be one of the first occasions of a woman being charged for terminating a pregnancy in Georgia since it passed a law banning most abortions and criminalized medical or hospital staff for aborting a fetus older than six weeks.
But superior court judge Steven Blackerby said during a bond hearing on Monday that he thought the charge to be “extremely problematic”, adding: “I have concerns that the state would ever be able to secure a conviction of malice murder.”
Moore had been incarcerated since her arrest on 4 March in Camden county. She was released on Monday after posting a bond of $2,001, including $1 for the murder charge and $1,000 each for two drug-related charges.
Under Georgia law, Moore would still need to be indicted by a grand jury before the murder charge can move forward.
Moore’s family told the Georgia news website the Current, that Moore, a US army veteran, who was arrested on 6 March, welcomed the decision to release her and interpreted the judge’s decision as favorable.
“Have you ever heard of someone having a murder charge with $1 bail?” said Rosalyn Jones, Moore’s biological mother. “From looking at the evidence, I’m not the judge or the jury. All I can see is God has given her favor, that’s all I know.”
Keith Higgins, the district attorney, did not object to the bond in court and told the judge police did not consult his office before filing the charges.
According to court records, Moore went to a hospital in December last year with abdominal pain and told medical staff she had taken misoprostol, a drug used in medication abortions, along with oxycodone.
Authorities said medical records estimated Moore was between 22 and 24 weeks pregnant and investigators say the fetus survived for about an hour after delivery at the hospital.
Don Plummer, press officer at the Georgia public defender council representing Moore, said: “The decision is a reminder that justice is not served by accusation alone. Our system works best when courts carefully weigh the facts, uphold constitutional protections, and safeguard the rights of every person who comes before them.”
The Associated Press contributed reporting
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