{"id":313085,"date":"2024-06-02T11:39:44","date_gmt":"2024-06-02T16:39:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=313085"},"modified":"2024-06-07T10:27:44","modified_gmt":"2024-06-07T15:27:44","slug":"man-accused-tricking-ex-abortion-drug","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/man-accused-tricking-ex-abortion-drug\/","title":{"rendered":"Man charged for allegedly tricking pregnant ex to take abortion-inducing drug"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A Massachusetts man is accused<\/a> of misleading his ex-girlfriend into taking a drug that can cause an abortion.<\/p>\n

According to the Middlesex County District Attorney, Robert Kawada, 43, was charged with poisoning, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a pregnant person, and assault and battery on a household or family member.<\/p>\n

According to Watertown Police, Kawada and the woman met on a dating app and had been dating for a couple of months. After they broke up, she told him she was pregnant and he allegedly tricked her into taking pills to induce an abortion.<\/p>\n

“He would provide the victim with pills that he informed her were iron pills or other vitamins,” said prosecutor Jacob McCrindle. “The defendant would also check the victim’s mouth by pulling on the victim’s cheek to make sure she had consumed the pills.”<\/p>\n

Kawada allegedly gave the woman drugs that McCrindle said were found to be consistent with misoprostol, the second drug used in the abortion pill regimen (which is not<\/em> regulated under the FDA’s REMS safety protocol<\/a>). Prosecutors said that a call to an online pharmacy that sells misoprostol was made from Kawada’s phone. His recent cell phone searches also included “9-week aborted fetus pics,” “telephone voice changer,” and “chewing Misoprostol.” Kawada allegedly faked a phone call from a nurse telling his ex-girlfriend that she needed to take iron pills \u2014 which he happened to have on hand.<\/p>\n

After taking the pills, the woman “was cold, shivering and she felt very uneasy,” said McCrindle. “She went to sleep and had very bad cramps.” The woman’s preborn child died, and after she delivered the child, McCrindle said Kawada asked her to send him pictures of the baby<\/em> \u2014 ostensibly as proof of the child’s death.<\/p>\n

Kawada was arrested by police on May 24 and arraigned in Waltham District Court on May 28. He pleaded<\/a> not guilty and was ordered held on $100,000 bail. Kawada is due back in court on July 23.<\/p>\n

The two-drug abortion pill regimen<\/strong><\/p>\n

The standard abortion pill regimen consists of two drugs: mifepristone <\/em>and misoprostol<\/em>. The regimen is approved by the FDA for use to kill a preborn child up to 10 weeks of pregnancy. Mifepristone (which is under the FDA’s REMS safety protocol) blocks the naturally occurring pregnancy hormone progesterone, breaking down the lining of the uterus and cutting off oxygen and nutrients to the developing baby. Twenty-four to 48 hours later, the woman then takes misoprostol, which causes contractions to expel the baby.<\/p>\n