Ignorance and incompetence, as opposed to pro-life convictions, seem to be the most likely explanations for why Starr County, Texas, prosecutors pursued a legally invalid murder charge against a woman for "a self-induced abortion." A local lawyer interviewed by The Washington Post said the consensus in the legal community is that the decision was the result of "gross negligence."
Ross Barrera, a former chairman of the Starr County Republican Party, described District Attorney Gocha Allen Ramirez as "a hardcore Democrat" who simply misunderstood the law. "I think his office just failed in doing their work," Barrera said. "I would put my hand on the Bible and say this was not a political statement."
