A Texas woman accused a U.S. Marine of spiking her hot chocolate with at least 10 abortion pills, causing the loss of her pregnancy, and local police said they aren't investigating the case.
According to NBC News, a woman who wished to have her name withheld accused Christopher Cooprider of secretly dissolving nearly a dozen abortion pills into hot cocoa he prepared for her on April 5. The lawsuit states that after giving her the drink, Cooprider left her home and stopped responding to her messages as she profusely bled.
Texas law currently bans nearly all abortions, with no exceptions for rape or incest and limited protections for the life and health of the mother. The law allows civil suits against anyone who facilitates an abortion. Texas also considers “an unborn child at every stage of gestation from fertilization until birth” as a person under the law.
Court documents include several text message conversations between the woman and Cooprider dating to Jan. 31, after the woman confirmed her pregnancy. Cooprider expressed that he “would like to get rid of it,” citing that they were “not in love” or together and claiming it would be “messed up to bring a child into the world without both parents raising them.” He then told the woman he would order abortion pills online.
The messages became increasingly tense as Cooprider began referring to the baby as a “thing” and accused the woman of having a “psycho mentality.” He also threatened to testify against the woman in her divorce proceedings to cause her to lose custody of her other children and stated he felt "trapped" by the pregnancy, wanting to "abort this monstrosity of a situation."
On April 2, Cooprider’s tone shifted. He invited the woman for a “trust building night” over “some warm relaxing tea.” At that time, the woman was eight weeks pregnant. Within 30 minutes of drinking the hot chocolate Cooprider prepared for her on April 5, the woman began experiencing hemorrhaging and cramping. She needed to go to the emergency room, but was afraid to leave her children sleeping upstairs. Cooprider claimed he would pick up her mother so they could drive to the hospital, but instead, he left and never replied.
One text showed the woman begging, "I am gushing blood. Please hurry." Her mother ended up taking an Uber to her home around 1 a.m., while Cooprider claimed he had to leave because he had a flight. The fetus did not survive. When the woman returned home, she found an open box of pills and a pill bottle, which she said she gave to Corpus Christi police.
According to the report, "The Corpus Christi Police Department said there are no active investigations involving Cooprider."
Under state law, anyone found guilty of providing a prohibited abortion could face criminal penalties, such as a first or second degree felony, depending on whether the abortion resulted in the death of the fetus. Violators could also be subject to a civil penalty of at least $100,000.