A Houston man is accused of trying to induce an abortion in his wife by putting drugs in her drinks, a felony offense under the state’s new abortion laws.
Harris County prosecutors recently charged Mason Herring, 38, with the new crime of “assault – forced induction to have an abortion” and with the assault of a pregnant person, according to KTRK-TV.
Authorities said that Mr. Herring put Misoprostol, a drug commonly used for medical abortions, in his wife’s drinks.
“It’s manipulative,” Assistant District Attorney Anthony Osso told KTRK, the Houston ABC affiliate.
“It’s premeditated. What we are alleging (he) did, which we believe the evidence supports, is a pretty heinous act. To do that to someone who trusts you, it’s taking advantage of that trust,” he said.
The couple was separated, but going through marriage counseling when Mr. Herring’s wife, who has not been publicly named, told him that she was pregnant, according to an April police report cited by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
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The pregnancy news upset Mr. Herring, the report said, and that he “didn’t know what to do” about the child.
On March 17 Mr. Herring brought breakfast and a cup of water to his wife’s home, insisting that she stay hydrated and that he wouldn’t leave until she finished the cup, the report stated. The woman drank from the cup but noticed it was cloudy when she took a breath, causing her husband to take it away.
She became sick shortly afterward, and experienced intense cramps, diarrhea and a large amount of bleeding as though she were menstruating, according to the report.
She went to the emergency room that evening where the bleeding continued, but doctors could not diagnose what caused the issues.
Over the course of the next month, according to the complaint, Mr. Herring tried to get his wife to consume drinks he had given her but she became suspicious and had cameras installed outside the home.
In late April, the report said, she went to check the contents of some trash Mr. Herring took out and found used packs of Cyrux, a Mexican-pharmacy drug that contains Misoprostol.
The cameras also captured Mr. Herring a few days later pouring powder from a plastic bag into a drink that he then gave to her though she did not consume, according to authorities.
Mr. Herring tried to give his wife six different drinks after she shared that she was pregnant with him, all of which she saved, the report states.
Authorities tested the six drinks and found Misoprostol in at least two of them, KTRK reported.
Officials said that the baby was born slightly early, but is healthy and doing well.
Mr. Herring faces a sentence of two to 10 years in prison if convicted of the charges.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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