July 5, 2019, 8:38 AM ET
Just days before the announcement that the charge was dropped, Jones’ lawyers publicly called the state’s logic "flawed and twisted,” urging the charge to be thrown out.
“It defies logic and reason to believe that Ms. Jones’ legal provocation was caused by her unborn child,” the legal team headed by Birmingham attorney Mark White wrote in their motion. They argue that the “unreasonable, irrational and unfounded indictment is fatally deficient and is due to be dismissed."
Jones’ story went viral last week, with people taking to social media to share their outrage over the grand jury decision. Some expressed worry over what it meant for women’s rights.
“The Handmaid’s Tale has already arrived, in Alabama,” Zoe Williams wrote in a Guardian opinion piece. “And feminists everywhere need to see Marshae Jones’s battle as their own.”
Alabama voters passed a constitutional amendment in November that gave fetuses the full legal rights and protections of people. As of today, 38 states have fetal homicide laws, according to the National Conference of State Legislators.
Jones was released on bail last week. She has no prior criminal record.
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