Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In A State That Favors Gun Rights But Not Reproductive Rights, There's Little Outrage Over Marshae Jones' Case
The New York Times: ‘You Have To Go By The Law’: Alabamians Defend Arrest Of Woman Whose Fetus Died In Shooting
In the days since police officers arrested Marshae Jones, saying she had started a fight that resulted in her unborn baby getting fatally shot, the hate mail has poured in. “I will encourage all U.S. business owners to boycott your town,” a woman from San Diego wrote on the Facebook page of the Pleasant Grove Police Department. “Misogynist trash,” wrote another. “Fire the chief and arresting officers,” wrote a third. (Stockman, 6/30)
The Washington Post: Marshae Jones: Pregnant Alabama Woman Charged With Death Of Own Fetus Prompts Unthinkable Questions
The 27-year-old was five months pregnant when she was involved in a fight that, authorities say, prompted a woman to fire a gun in self-defense. The bullet tore through Jones’s abdomen and caused a miscarriage, anguishing the young mother — and the historic East Thomas neighborhood of central Alabama, where her family has lived for generations. “As her pastor, I would ask whoever to prayerfully consider the heart of this young lady,” said the Rev. George Robinson Jr., the pastor of First Baptist Church of East Thomas, where Jones and her family attend. “Marshae is not the person that has been pictured or painted of her. She’s not that young lady.” (Platenburg and Brice-Saddler, 6/29)
CNN: Marshae Jones Was Shot, Then Indicted In Her Baby's Death. Lawyers Will Try To Get The Charges Dismissed
Jones was five months pregnant on December 4 when she got into a fight with another woman outside a Dollar General store in Pleasant Grove, just west of Birmingham, CNN affiliate WBMA reported. "It was the mother of the child who initiated and continued the fight which resulted in the death of her own unborn baby," Pleasant Grove police Lt. Danny Reid told AL.com shortly after the shooting. He said the fight caused the other woman, Ebony Jemison, to react and defend herself. He would not describe Jones, the pregnant woman, as a shooting victim. (Silverman and Ellis, 6/30)
AL.com: Motion To Dismiss Marshae Jones Charge To Be Filed Monday, Attorney Says
The attorney for Marshae Jones, the Alabama woman indicted for the death of her unborn child after engaging in a fight last year, plans to file a motion to dismiss the charge against her on Monday. Jones, now 27, was indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury on a manslaughter charge for the death of her unborn 5-month-old child. She was taken into custody on Wednesday. (Beahm, 6/30)
