Mother Sentenced To Prison For Giving Daughter Abortion Pills

A mother has reportedly been sentenced to up to 18 months in jail after she gave her 16-year-old daughter abortion pills to terminate her pregnancy.

Pennsylvania woman Jennifer Ann Whalen was given a prison sentence of 12 to 18 months by Montour County Court of Common Pleas Judge Gary Norton. Whalen had pled guilty in August to purchasing miscarriage-inducing medication off of the internet and giving the pills to her 16-year-old daughter to terminate her unwanted pregnancy.

Judge Norton said in his opinion that Whalen violated the Pennsylvania state rule that says only licensed physicians can perform abortions.

Whalen was reportedly forced to take her daughter to a local hospital near her hometown of Washingtonville after the girl experienced severe cramping and bleeding after ingesting the pills. The 39-year-old mother argued in court that there was not a nearby abortion clinic for her daughter to go to, and the 16-year-old's lack of health insurance made it impossible for her to visit a hospital.

Michael Banks, the attorney for Whalen, says his client realizes "her decision was poor."

This recent case relates to an incident back in Florida in 2013 when John Andrew Walden tricked his girlfriend into taking an abortion pill, telling her instead that it was an antibiotic. Walden pled guilty to deceiving his girlfriend and was sentenced in January to 13 years in jail for the death of the unborn fetus.

"I don't believe Mr. Welden's an evil person, but he committed an evil act," Judge Richard Al Lazzara said at the time of the man's sentencing, adding "and he's going to pay the consequences."